Pokémon: Adventures in Sinnoh
by PsyCisco
Summary: Follow the adventure of Nick from Twinleaf Town as he travels the land of Sinnoh, meeting friends, foes and Pokémon.
1. An Electrifying Introduction

The slamming of the door made some birds fly from their nest, startled. Nick stormed down the garden path and followed the dusty road past the quaint houses of Twinleaf Town and through the trees surrounding his pleasant home. Mom and Dad had been fighting again… he was beginning to get tired of it.

Lake Verity had always been a good place to escape to and relax. He seemed to be depending on it more and more these days. A summer breeze danced through the woods as he focused on the sunset ahead, the water glistening as if diamonds floated on its surface. Strange creatures lived in these surroundings; different from normal animals, and dangerous if not handled properly. They had never interested him though, and so he ignored the frequent rustling in the bushes and treetops, ignoring the sense that something was watching him. As he approached the shore, the setting sun was in full glory on the sea's horizon. Perching himself on his favourite rock, he began to think. There was really nothing to think about, but enjoying the silence of the secluded, lush getaway would suffice.

Time passed as the sky burned a fiery crimson, marred by the clouds which heralded nightfall. Nick was feeling better now; coming here always helped to ease his mind and things at home would undoubtedly be calmer by the time he strolled back. The wind had picked up, and he had pulled a hat over his shaggy brown hair, absent-mindedly picking up stones from the moist sand and throwing them, watching them bounce across the waves. His record for the furthest distance a stone had skimmed was almost half way to an island in the centre of the lake, and he had become determined to beat this soon. Picking up another smooth but large stone, he sent it flying and watched it closely. A few metres from the shore, it suddenly sank. In a moment, something colossal, something frightening, emerged from the depths; Nick, terrified, stood to run, but instantly tripped and fell backwards over the rock, his eyes meeting those of the dragon-like beast that was now moving towards him. Its mouth hung open showing two glistening fangs, water crashing around its long, red-scaled, serpentine mass. Nick's heart raced, pounding as though trying to break free from his body as he tried to overcome his fear and make haste. But it was impossible. As it drew closer, it let out a thunderous roar and lunged at him, and he closed his eyes and raised his hands. From the safety of under his eyelids, he heard small footsteps race in front of him, then a crackling sound, and then the beast cry in a much less intimidating manner. The water splashed once more, then there was silence. When he dared to look again, foam slithered across the water where the monster had been – it was nowhere to be seen now. Breathing heavily, Nick observed the water, expecting it to pop out again any second. But the seconds passed, and it appeared that it had gone. His heart leaped again as his scared silence was interrupted by a loud 'ELEKID!'

Looking to his right, he tried to scurry backwards on his hands and feet to get away from the strange yellow thing that had just made its presence known. It was rotund, with two antennae-like points protruding from its head. Black markings were woven through its buttercup fur, reminiscent of a lightning bolt, and powerful-looking, claw-tipped arms swung from its sides. It grinned at Nick:

'Elekid!'

'W-What?' he forced back.

'Elekid, El!'

The creature ran around to his other side, where it giggled and waved its hands in the air with apparent glee. Nick, feeling less panicky now, stared at it.

'You're a… Pokémon?' he asked.

'Elekid!'

'And that other thing, it was one too?'

'Elekid, Elekid!'

Elekid – at least that's what its name seemed to be – directed its hands to the space above the water and in an instant let a bolt of electricity out of its body towards where Nick's assailant had towered over him. Initially taken aback by what this little Pokémon had just done, he soon realised what it meant by this gesture.

'You got rid of it!'

Elekid beamed.

'T-Thank you!' laughed Nick.

There was silence when he realised that he did not have much else to say to a thing that couldn't even talk back. He continued to smile at it, and with a glance at the sun that was now almost out of sight, got back onto his feet.

'Well, I… have to go. Um… thanks again.'

'Elekid!' it replied. It did not move, so Nick began to walk away, but maintaining eye contact; as nice as it may have seemed, he was still not completely fond of these characters he knew as Pokémon, and did not want to give it the opportunity to attack him from behind. It did not, however, and hopped into the bushes as Nick reached the path home.

He reached the front door just as the moon began to rise in the sky. He opened it slowly and stepped inside as quietly as he could. Walking into the dimly-lit kitchen, he found his father sitting at the dining table, looking over some sheets and forms.

'Hi, Nick.' was the greeting from a stern voice.

'Hi, Dad.' was the answer from a wary son.

'Where have you been?'

'Oh, just out… I went to Lake Verity.'

'I see.' said Mr. Azalea, sipping throatily at his tea.

'I heard you and Mom arguing,' fired Nick. His father made no response, not looking up from his paperwork, 'Again.'

The man took off his reading glasses and ran his hand through his short, greying hair.

'I'm sorry, Son,' he sighed, 'Things are just… difficult. You know how tight money is.'

'Yeah…' confirmed Nick, solemnly. Was it just about money anymore?

'Don't you worry about it.'

'I won't.' It was hard not to.

As Nick lay awake in bed, images of the huge, vicious monster from the water and the small, friendly one who had saved him ran through his mind. He knew that Pokémon could be kept as pets, and that some people used them for help or made them fight each other. This sounded brutal and cruel, but a curiosity had been sparked inside him. He would not be opposed to meeting a Pokémon again – especially the one called Elekid. Rolling onto his side, he was claimed by sleep, as the birds returned to their nest outside.


	2. Professor Rowan's Request

Days passed, but the little yellow Pokémon never left Nick's mind – nor did the big red one. Could someone really control a monster like that? He had heard of gangs using Pokémon for criminal activities. It was frightening to think that they could have something like that in their arsenal. He had developed something of a longing to befriend one, and he pondered this as he leaned at his bedroom window, looking into the white, clouded sky above the trees. It was an unusually cold day for July.

'Mom?' he asked at dinner that evening.

'Yes, Nick?' she replied.

'Grandpa used to keep Pokémon, didn't he?'

Surprised at her son's sudden interest in the creatures, she turned to face him in wonder. His father continued to gaze at the television at the other side of the room, paying little attention to his family's conversation.

'Erm… yes, he did. Why, Son?'

'Oh, no reason…' he mumbled, 'Just… what were they like?'

'Well,' began his mother, pulling the bowl of potatoes closer to her plate, 'Your grandfather was a Pokémon breeder. He used to take care of all sorts of Pokémon for people, and raised them until their owners could take them back again.'

'People use them for things, don't they?' said Nick, already knowing the answer.

'Yes. Some just keep them as pets, but there are also trainers who raise Pokémon to battle.'

'They make them hurt each other?'

'Oh no, it's not like that' laughed his mother, 'Battling helps the Pokémon grow, and to become closer to the trainer. It's not frowned upon. Pokémon are capable of amazing powers, they're not weak or vulnerable.'

An image of a bolt of lightning sprung into Nick's mind.

'Trainers keep Pokémon in devices called Pokéballs.' volunteered Mrs. Azalea.

'What about his own Pokémon?' asked Nick, his curiosity growing.

'He only had two of his own Pokémon,' his mother said through a mouthful of food, 'Pikachu and Squirtle. They were my friends growing up. There they are, in that picture.'

Nick turned to look at the wall his mother had pointed at. A photograph of his late grandfather hung there, slightly askew. On the bearded old man's left was a small Pokémon that resembled a mouse, with a lightning-bolt shaped tail. It reminded Nick of the Elekid he had met at the lake. On the other side of the picture was a turtle creature, but it was standing on its hind legs and had a curling tail. Both creatures looked happy. Between them lay some spherical objects, each with an opening around the centre.

'Why are you so interested in Pokémon all of a sudden, Nick?' asked his mother, interrupting his appreciation of the picture.

'It… It's nothing.' he finished, and turned his attention back to his near-empty plate.

'Seconds?'

The next morning, he had an idea in mind as soon as he woke up. He would go back to Lake Verity and see if he could find Elekid again. After that, he didn't know what he'd do. He just felt compelled to meet another Pokémon. He soon found himself walking excitedly down the path between the trees. It was warmer this morning than it had been the previous day, the sun trying its hardest to squeeze through the uncaring clouds. His heart beat a little faster as he thought what might happen. But he would be wary of going near the lake again and especially wary of disturbing the water. As the shore came into view, he saw a figure ahead, looking out over the area. He slowed his pace – finding he had actually been jogging without realising – and observed the person he was approaching. It was a white-haired man, old but not frail, not notably tall but strong-looking, wearing a pullover and underneath it a white shirt and red tie. A briefcase was lying open at his feet, and items were strewn across the inside. The man did not react around as Nick drew closer, but slowly turned as the boy exclaimed:

'Those are… Pokéballs!'

'Yes.' said the man, closing the briefcase and lifting it up.

'Are you a Pokémon trainer?'

'No.' said the man. There was a moment of silence that Nick found awkward before the man spoke again. 'Not anymore. I'm Professor Rowan. I study Pokémon.'

'I see.' smiled Nick, more interested than his tone suggested, 'I met a Pokémon here a few days ago.'

'What kind of Pokémon was it?' asked Rowan from beneath a large, thick moustache.

'I think its name was… Elekid?'

This revelation made the professor furrow his brow slightly.

'An Elekid? Here at Lake Verity? I doubt it.'

Nick excitedly described the creature he had seen.

'Yes, that does fit the description of an Elekid,' mumbled Rowan, stroking his chin, 'But they're not native to this area.'

Nick was getting frustrated that this old man didn't believe him.

'It's true!' he bellowed, 'I saw it, and it fought off a huge red thing!'

The mention of this second beast made Rowan's eyes widen.

'You saw a red Gyarados?'

'A tall snake thing with fangs, yes! It came out of the water and Elekid shocked it with electricity!' he exclaimed.

'Is this true?'

Rowan did not seem to be addressing this question to Nick, but was looking at the ground behind him. Nick turned round to be greeted by his high voltage friend.

'Elekid, it's you!' he gasped.

'Ele!' said the Pokémon, smiling. Nick crouched to the ground.

'How are you?'

'Elekid, Elekid, El!' laughed the Pokémon. Sparks crackled around its antennae as it did. The professor stood silently, observing the boy and the little monster.

'Hmmm…' he began, 'You and that Elekid seem to have a genuine connection.' he finished.

'Huh?' said Nick, looking up.

'Come to my lab in Sandgem Town later this afternoon. And bring the Pokémon with you.' ordered the old man. Nick was slightly taken aback, but agreed nonetheless. He had seen the impressive yet intimidating building while visiting friends in the next town over.

'I'll see you there.' said Rowan. With that, he briskly walked away and headed through the trees until he was out of sight. Nick turned back to Elekid.

'Would you like to come with me to his lab this afternoon?' he asked.

'El!' nodded the Pokémon.

They sat by the lake, enjoying the morning breeze, and taking care not to throw any stones across the surface.

The hours quickly passed, and the wind made its presence known as the pair followed the lush path towards Sandgem Town. They had got to know each other a little better; Nick had told Elekid about himself, and while Elekid couldn't say much more than its own name, Nick felt that he had gained a new friend and that a firm bond had been established between them. The unseen eyes of Pokémon that he'd always thought were looking at him from the trees were no longer a sinister thing – he was beginning to feel comfortable around and interested in the creatures, and Elekid would surely protect him from any harmful ones. It had been showing off its electrical powers earlier, and Nick was confident that no other Pokémon would try to mess with his charged-up companion. He saw small rodent-like ones dashing away as they passed, and the fluttering of flying-types up above.

For a town-connecting route, the area was very green and slightly overgrown; tall blades of grass brushed Nick's legs as he trod along the dusty ground. Eventually the trees began to widen and the coastal town where Rowan awaited them came into view. He subconsciously started walking at a quicker pace, a nervy excitement sparking in his chest and falling into his stomach. What did the professor want?

The wind had died down by the time they reached the front door of, for what was supposed to be a research laboratory, a moderately-sized, plain building. Regardless of this, the glass doors reflected a sense of trepidation into Nick, and he approached them cautiously. They opened automatically with a whirring noise, and he entered.

It seemed to consist of one large room, with diagrams and notes displayed over every wall – but only where there weren't shelves lined with countless, dust-covered books. The workers in their white lab coats paid no attention to him; he wondered if he should ask them what to do or ignore them too. This dilemma was soon defused by a throaty cough from the far side of the hall; Professor Rowan was beckoning him over. He hastily approached the professor.

'Uh… hello again.' he said, half-smiling.

'Thank you for coming.' was the reply.

They stood in silence for a few moments; Nick was not sure what to say or what to expect. Rowan spoke again.

'The reason I called you here is because I have a task which I need completed, and I think you might be the right person for it.'

'Oh, okay.' mumbled Nick. Did he want him to mop the floors?

'As you know, I study Pokémon as a profession,' the old man continued, 'And I continue to do so to this day.'

'Yeah?'

'And so,' he said through another cough, 'I still like to gather information from about Pokémon in the wild, and more so, their evolution.'

'Evolution?' asked Nick.

'Some Pokémon,' began Rowan, before Nick had even finished talking, 'Change into different forms as they grow stronger. For example, the common aquatic Pokémon known as Magikarp evolves into the much larger – and much more vicious – Gyarados – one of which you encountered at Lake Verity.'

'Oh, right.' nodded Nick, a lot more fascinated than he sounded.

'Anyway,' nodded Rowan, 'I need someone keen – someone young – to continue my work further afield. I am too busy running the laboratory to travel nowadays.'

Nick's heart began to beat a little faster.

'Would you be interested?'

'Yes!' said Nick, a little too quickly. Rowan left another gap of silence before replying.

'Splendid.'

The rest of the afternoon was spent discussing Pokémon. Rowan explained how there were many different types, from kinds who lived in the forest to kinds whose bodies were made of solid steel. He explained how they could grow through travelling and battling, and how there were official competitions and tournaments for trainers who liked to battle. He gave Nick an electronic device called a Pokédex that would automatically record information on all the Pokémon that he would encounter on the road, which he could then show Rowan to aid his research. He commented on the bond that had developed between Nick and Elekid, and that the electric creature would make a perfect starter Pokémon for the young trainer. He gave him a handful of Pokéballs for catching new friends, as well as keeping his current partner in. Nick hung on his every word.

He returned home that evening under a warm orange sky. Elekid had happily entered the ball and stayed there; he still had to explain to his parents about what the professor had asked of him, and leading a wild creature into the house wouldn't make the announcement any easier. He lifted a hand to the door handle and pushed his way inside; usually he would enter slowly with caution of what he may see or hear inside, but now it seemed as though those days had passed. The raised voices coming from the kitchen sounded like little more than background noise to him now as he approached them.

'Hello, Son.' mumbled his mother timidly.

'I'm going on a Pokémon journey.' was his answer.

'What?'

'Professor Rowan from Sandgem Town has asked me to go on a journey for him to help with his Pokémon research.'

'But… but Nick, you don't even like Pokémon!' exclaimed his father, 'And you can't just leave home at the drop of a hat! You don't even have any Pokémon!'

Nick answered by way of dropping the Pokéball on the floor. Elekid appeared in a flash of light. His parents did not look as taken aback as he had expected them to be – it was like something more important was at the front of their minds.

'Nick… why didn't you tell us before?' let out his mother, 'And how did you get to know the Professor?'

She said it in a tone of voice that suggested she was familiar with Rowan.

'I was only asked today. I met him at Lake Verity, along with this Pokémon.'

Elekid gave a smile and a spark.

'Its name is Elekid.'

'I know what it is!' snapped his mother quickly. She sighed and apologised moments later.

'Look,' continued Nick, 'I don't want to stay around here just now – you two fight too much and I hate being caught in the middle. Elekid is my friend, and I want to help the professor. You need the space, and I want some time away.'

'But Nick…' began his father, but Nick could see that he knew his son was right.

'Why don't we forget this all for now and have dinner?' offered his mother, 'We can talk more over food, and if you really want to travel with Pokémon, then you can. But as long as we make sure you know what you're doing.'

Nick nodded and agreed in a stern, determined manner. In a way, he was glad that she had owned Pokémon as a child, as she would understand the interest and ambition they can ignite in people. He left the kitchen and went to his room, as the voices grew slightly louder again, mixed with the sound of pots and pans being taken from cupboards.

He passed the time looking at Pokémon information on his computer as Elekid napped on his bed. He had browsed data on his grandfathers' partners Pikachu and Squirtle, as well as species local to Twinleaf Town that had been documented: Bidoof, a beaver creature that he thought looked a little goofy; Starly, a little bird that could attack by controlling the wind; Shinx, a cat which could give electric shocks; Wobbuffet, a weird blue creature which was rarer to see than the others. There was nothing about Elekid though – Rowan had been right, it was not native to his peaceful hometown. There were so many listings of known Pokémon from all over the world that he remembered only their pictures and not their names: a small mole that popped its head out of the ground; the ghost of a hot-air balloon; an insect with a huge mushroom covering its back; a human-looking thing with four arms; a black fox with an evil glint in its eye. There were even amazing Pokémon that no one had ever captured, such as a huge green dragon species that lived on the edge of space and majestic birds with the power of fire and ice. He read folk stories about monsters from other dimensions, sightings of which were only questionable rumours. He became so immersed in this incredible new world of Pokémon that it took him several minutes to notice that he was being called for dinner from downstairs. He reluctantly rose to his feet and left the room, as Elekid snored and its antennae crackled.


	3. The Seething Staraptor

With a tight hug and a kiss from his mother, he left the house underneath the morning sun.

'Where are you going to go?' asked his mother, a hint of worry in her voice.

'Errr…' replied Nick, not entirely sure of the answer, 'Lake Verity, I guess. Bye, Mom.'

He looked at her standing in the doorway for a few moments, before turning on his heel and heading west.

'He'll be fine.' said Mr. Azalea, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder. She sighed as she watched her son disappear out of sight, his packed rucksack bouncing off his back as he strode.

Senses of both wonderment and ambition now burned somewhere inside him. He had left the home full of sadness and uncertainty, but wasn't alone; a new chapter had began, and his interest and excitement about Pokémon was growing stronger by the second. No clouds blocked the sun from shining down on the happy boy as he reached the lake. He spent an amount of time – perhaps a minute, perhaps an hour… his head was too full to notice – gazing across the sparkling waters of the world he felt he had a newfound control over. With a smile and a relaxed gesture of his hand, he released Elekid from its Pokéball. His partner joined him in enjoying the scenery.

'It starts here, Elekid,' the boy began, 'Our journey to fill the Pokédex for Professor Rowan!'

'Elek!' it crackled.

He had a small sleeping bag and other essentials in his rucksack. He would sleep in secluded areas or Pokémon Centres, which his mother had described as common buildings where Pokémon could be healed and travellers would find hospitality. His thoughts were interrupted by the fluttering of wings behind him. They turned to see a small bird creature hopping near some bushes and pecking the ground for food.

'That's… a Starly?' exclaimed Nick, happy to see another Pokémon. He stared at it without saying anything until Elekid nudged him.

'Oh, the Pokédex!' he gasped, and with fumbling fingers took out the device and pointed it at the creature. Its image appeared on the screen, and an electronic voice spoke:

'Staravia, the Starling Pokémon. It usually travels in a group, as it is not particularly strong on its own.'

'Alright! One down…' cheered Nick, but stopped his sentence abruptly as he had no idea how many kinds of Pokémon existed. Was he really expected to catch them all? 'Maybe we can catch this one, Elekid!'

'Elek, Elekid!' buzzed the electric-type. However, before it received a command, Nick had already thrown a Pokéball. It spun through the air towards the little bird, which casually bounced it away with its wing.

'Aw, man!' sighed Nick. Wasn't this thing supposed to be weak? Why couldn't he catch it?

'Elek!' cried Elekid, static rippling through its body. It seemed to be asking Nick to command it.

'Oh, okay!' smiled Nick, remembering Rowan's advice that one should weaken the target first, 'Elekid, use Thundershock!' He had learned the names of Elekid's attacks in the Pokédex. Elekid let out an even louder cry and shot a bolt of lightning at Staravia, which leapt and struggled in frenzy as it was shocked. Moments later, Elekid stopped attacking, and the bird lay on the ground, almost unconscious. Nick felt slightly bad, but knew it was the sort of thing that trainers must do.

'Alright! Nice work, Elekid!' he cheered. He still felt a little awkward talking like this, 'Now I'll catch it.'

He reached for another Pokéball, but looked up when he heard Staravia's voice again. The little bird was pushing itself to its feet, breathing heavily, and glaring at the trainer. It was unsettling.

'Uh, Elekid? What's it doing?'

Before Elekid could answer – not that it could really answer – Staravia's entire body began to shine.

'Whoa! What's happening?' he gasped. The bright white form of the bird had began to change shape into something else… something bigger…

'It's… evolving?'

The glow eventually subsided, and there stood another bird Pokémon – but this one didn't look as weak as the Pokédex had described its pre-evolution. He held the device up again:

'Staraptor, the Predator Pokémon. The fully-evolved form of Starly and Staravia. It is extremely vicious and does not give up a fight until the opponent is beaten.'

Nick's heart leaped as he heard these words. He glanced at Elekid, and found it had the same look of fear in its eyes. A piercing birdcall heralded the creature swooping down from above and charging at them – it could move quickly. They dived out of the way as it darted past them, and Nick felt the gust it created cut him like a knife. They had annoyed this Pokémon, and he was now regretting it. He watched, too scared to move, as it circled in the air and prepared to attack them again. Elekid shot lightning bolts at it, but continually missed due to Staraptor's velocity. His legs were rooted to the ground as thoughts rushed through his head; what had he gotten himself into? Was his journey over before it had started? The answer arrived in the form of a beam of ice, which came from somewhere to the left and hit Staraptor in mid-flight. The bird fell from the sky and into the treetops, disappearing from sight. Nick looked to where the attack had come from and saw a girl with long dark hair looking back at him. There was a hint of anger in her blue eyes, and beside her stood a Pokémon that resembled a penguin, only with blue fur and sharp steel plates covering its wings.

'What are you trying to do, get yourself killed?' she shouted, approaching him.

'W-what?' spluttered Nick.

'You don't try and take on a strong, fully-evolved Pokémon like Staraptor when you've just started your training!'

'But… how…?' how did this girl know about him?

'Professor Rowan told me about the new trainer with an Elekid' she answered, as if possessing psychic powers, 'I'm also one of the trainers helping him with the Pokédex project.'

'There are others?' he asked, finding his voice again.

'Of course. You didn't think he'd only trust _you_, did you?' she snapped. Nick didn't like her tone, but held his tongue.

'I didn't challenge Staraptor, it evolved from a Staravia just a second before!' he blurted.

'Maybe so, Nick, but you need to learn more about Pokémon. Starly and Staravia like to travel in flocks, right? And did the Staravia you encountered seem lost or injured?'

'No…' he mumbled. At least not until he had attacked it.

'Well then, it obviously wasn't acting normally if it had chosen to be alone, was it? So you should have been more careful, because it was obviously different from others!'

She kept describing things as 'obvious', but Nick had just begun his training. How was he to know?

'What's your name?' he found himself asking.

'Pearl,' she said with a _hmph_. And this is my partner Pokémon, Prinplup. Nick excitedly held his Pokédex up to it, but before he could see the data, Pearl recalled the creature to a Pokéball.

'Rowan has enough data on this species already.'

'If the Pokédex is programmed with so much data already, doesn't it know everything about Pokémon?' he asked. He had been wondering about this.

'No!' she yelled, startling Nick, 'No one knows _everything_ about Pokémon! No one even knows how many types of Pokémon there are, never mind facts about them all! New species are being discovered all the time. The Pokédex observes the ones you meet and accumulates data based on the surroundings and body language of the Pokémon, then adds that to what is already known. That's how new discoveries are made!'

She sighed after such a mouthful. Nick was still not entirely sure of how the Pokédex worked, but he thought it would be best to continue collecting data.

'Uh…' was all he could muster.

'And you need to train that Pokémon too,' she stated, with a nod to Elekid, 'Its Thundershock was nowhere near hitting that Staraptor.' Elekid snarled, but Pearl paid no attention and began walking away towards Sandgem Town. 'Oh, and saying thanks wouldn't hurt.' she said, looking over her shoulder.

'T-thanks…'

And with that she disappeared into the woods.

They waited at the lake a while longer, as meeting Pearl again so soon would have been awkward. Nick decided they would head to Jubilife City, as it was connected to many areas where he would find more Pokémon.

'She was… informative, wasn't she?' he asked Elekid.

'Ek!' it replied, with a growl.

'Don't be like that Elekid. We want this to be a fun journey, don't we?'

The little Pokémon fell silent, but its expression did not change.

'Perhaps we should go now…' said Nick, standing up from the rock on which he had been sitting. It was almost noon and he did not want to waste any more time. Just as they turned to leave, something caught Nick's eye. On top of the water, there danced a glowing shape. It didn't look like a corporeal thing, nor did it look like a shadow or an evolving Pokémon. It had a small body and a long tail, and flew with a gentle grace. Confirming it was real by blinking hard and seeing that Elekid was similarly engrossed, he watched it for a few more seconds, before it began to fade and spiralled into the water.

'I wonder what that was…'

'El!' called Elekid as it departed, beckoning Nick to follow.

Soon after, they found themselves following a forest path towards Jubilife City. He had visited it many times in the past, but now he was seeing it in a different light – as a location that could help him on his adventure. Some clouds had crept overhead, but the air was still warm and the canopy of tree leaves obscured the sun anyway. Nick was still thinking about the Pokédex and how complex and sophisticated it must have been. And was this Pearl girl really working for Rowan too? He could not help but feel slightly crestfallen, and thought that Pearl may have been feeling the same way, hence the anger. How many other trainers had Rowan enlisted? Ultimately, it didn't matter. He was lucky enough to have been chosen, and was more than happy to partake in the project. Elekid looked a lot calmer too; the sides of its mouth were curved in its usual grin once again, and it walked proudly alongside its trained, occasionally shivering with energy. They marched on until something appeared in their way; a tall, purple serpentine frame, with sinister tribal-like markings on its torso. A split tongue hissed from behind shining fangs, and its piercing glare instantly caught their eyes. Slowly, Nick lifted the Pokédex:

'Arbok, the Cobra Pokémon. The markings on its chest intimidate prey, which it then constricts in its coiled body. It is a poison-type, and is capable of spitting venom to attack.'

He slowly put the Pokédex back into his pocket and looked back at Arbok. It certainly was intimidating, but it looked powerful, and as though it would be a great first addition to his team.

'Are you ready, Elekid?'

'El!'

Elekid jumped in front of its trainer and the two Pokémon stared at each other, tensed, and prepared to battle.


	4. Arrival of a Rival

Arbok's eyes seemed to pierce Nick's mind as he gazed at the Pokémon that, in minutes, he could be in control of. He was by no means an expert, but from what he could tell, this creature was powerful, and in perfect health. It hissed and spat while his Elekid growled and crackled with electricity. The moment was approaching to make a move, and Nick was furiously racking his brain for his partner's attacks. Arbok swung its head forward in an intimidating way, and both boy and Pokémon sprung into action:

'Elekid! Thundershock!'

Elekid leaped forward, clenched its pulsating fists and directed a streak of power at Arbok. The serpent was stricken, but quickly writhed and spun to the ground, negating the electrical charge. Nick reacted quickly, and commanded Elekid to use its fighting-type attack, Low Kick. The little Pokémon further approached its slithery foe and jumped, spinning and aiming a kick. The cobra monster stretched its own tail up and knocked Elekid away, although it did not seem to be trying to harm it. Nick noticed that it had not actually tried to attack at all, and was simply defending itself. Elekid snarled as its trainer considered their next move.

'Alright, try a Headbutt!'

Elekid let out a cry, and darted forward, its antennae shining with energy as it headed towards Arbok, which simply swayed to one side and evaded the attack. It still wasn't attacking. Elekid pulled itself to its feet and stared at its opponent, slightly confused. Suddenly, a disembodied voice spoke from somewhere close by:

'Slam attack.'

Before Nick had time to react, Arbok sprung towards Elekid and swung its huge tail, knocking the electric-type several feet away and onto its back. Nick looked around frantically for the source of the voice, and saw an older boy emerging from the trees.

'Why are you attacking my Arbok?'

'_Your_ Arbok?' replied Nick, flustered.

'Yes, this Arbok belongs to me,' stated the boy, coming into full sight. He had shoulder-length blond hair which curled out several inches at either side of his head, and wore a tight red jacket emblazoned with a Pokéball symbol, 'And I hope you weren't thinking of trying to steal it.'

'Oh, no! Not at all!' said Nick in a panic, 'I thought it was a wild Pokémon that I could catch for myself. I had no idea it belonged to you.'

'Well, that's alright, I guess,' sighed the boy, a hint of a smile on his face, 'But while we're here, what do you say to a battle?'

Nick thought to himself. He had never been in a battle against another trainer before, and was not sure what to say. But a sudden rush of courage determined his reply:

'Yeah, alright!'

The other boy's smile widened as he stood behind his Arbok. Elekid had recovered and dashed back to Nick's side.

'We'll each use these Pokémon,' announced the boy, suddenly adding 'Arbok, Constrict!'

The mighty cobra pounced and snatched Elekid in its tail, squeezing it tightly.

'Elekid!' cried Nick, worried. He then remembered he had to fight, 'Use Thundershock!'

Elekid's shock travelled through Arbok's body; it was too busy focusing on its own attack to defend this time. It released Elekid and slithered back, hissing. Nick took the initiative:

'Elekid, focus on your target and Headbutt!'

Elekid kicked off from the ground and soared at Arbok, slamming into its chest. Arbok hissed and flew back, collapsing. Unfortunately, it righted itself after a few moments.

'Not bad…' smirked its owner, 'But now, Arbok, use Poison Sting!'

Arbok opened its mouth and released several glowing barbs of venom. They sprayed over Elekid and jagged into it in several places. Elekid fell to its knees.

'Elekid, no! Get up, Elekid! Use Headbutt again!'

The wounded Pokémon struggled to its feet and jumped at Arbok again, but the serpent was commanded to use Slam and knocked it back to Nick's feet, unconscious.

'Elekid…'

'Good job, Arbok.' smiled his opponent, recalling it into a white ball. Nick was unsure of what to do, until he saw the other boy kneeling down by Elekid with him and taking a spray out of his own bag.

'This will heal your Elekid enough until you take it to a Pokémon Centre,' he explained, spraying the collapsed creature's body with a strong-smelling antidote.

'Oh… thank you…' mumbled Nick. It was comforting that this stranger was being so kind.

'Us Pokémon trainers have to look out for each other.' grinned his ex-opponent, as though reading his thoughts. He offered a hand.

'I'm Jay.'

'Hi, I'm Nick.' he replied, giving a smile. 'I've just become a trainer.'

'Really?' asked Jay. His tone was one of interest. 'I wouldn't have thought so from the way you battled. You certainly have potential.'

Nick had not expected such nice words.

'T-thanks!' he laughed. They got to their feet, Jay lifting the exhausted Elekid for him.

'There's a Pokémon Centre not far from here, in Jubilife City. We should take your Elekid there.'

'Yeah, I was on my way there just now when we found your Arbok.' said Nick, recalling Elekid to its ball. 'It's quite a Pokémon!' he added with a smile.

'I've had Arbok since it was an Ekans,' replied Jay as they began to follow the path to the nearby city, 'I've been training it for a few years now.'

'Do you have any others?' asked Nick, excitedly.

'Well, my parents and I just moved here from Vermilion City in Kanto. I decided to wait and start a journey properly in Sinnoh. I also had a Jigglypuff, but it didn't like to battle so it stays at home and helps my mom and dad.'

Nick had seen the Jigglypuff species while browsing research files at home; it was very cute.

'I'm going to take on the gym challenge here.'

'Gym challenge?' inquired Nick.

'Oh, come on! Don't tell me you don't know about Pokémon Gyms, or the Pokémon League?' exclaimed Jay. Nick shook his head sheepishly.

'Nope…'

'Well, I suppose you _are_ still a noobie.' laughed Jay. 'There are eight gyms in Sinnoh, each run by a gym leader. Defeating those leaders will earn you badges, and after you have eight of those, you can enter the Pokémon League across the sea to compete to become the Champion.'

'The Champion…?' asked Nick, an excitement growing inside him.

'Yes, but only the very best trainers will succeed at the League.' nodded Jay, looking ahead. 'Let's just say _you'll_ need a lot more training!' he added, laughing.

'Hey!' smiled Nick, as they continued through the forest and onwards to Jubilife City.

The sun was still shining down on the afternoon by the time they got there. Nick had visited it before but was always struck by its impressiveness, its tall buildings gleaming in the sun's rays like shining monuments of the city's achievement and innovation.

'You know,' said Jay, interrupting Nick's thoughts, 'Jubilife is very important for trainers. Television shows regarding Pokémon are filmed and broadcast here, and it's also where the Pokétch is manufactured.'

'Pokétch?' Nick was not fond of the seemingly condescending way in which Jay was speaking, but his curiosity overcame his dislike.

'This.' replied Jay, pulling up his sleeve to reveal a watch-like device strapped around his wrist.

'What does –'

'It has a number of functions. It can be used as a map of the Sinnoh Region, a watch, a notepad… and lots of other things, depending on which applications you install on it.'

'Sounds pretty handy,' mused Nick, 'Are they expensive?' He had enough money for food and essentials, but not for luxuries like this… although maybe this _was_ an essential for a Pokémon trainer?

'I think you should be able to afford one. I'll take you to the company that makes them, let's go.' grinned Jay, his pace quickening slightly.

For such a populated city, Jubilife's streets were spacious, its buildings spread across the area and allowing the skies above to look down on the goings-on. They passed many people, but the pavements never seemed to be overcrowded. Jay pointed out the Pokémon Centre, which was highlighted with a bright red roof. After a short while, past several blocks, a building came into view, a large neon screen demanding the attention of anyone in sight_: Pokétch – Pokémon Watches for the World!_

Jay stopped, and Nick did too after a couple of extra steps.

'This is the place.' smiled Jay, folding his arms and closing his eyes.

'Can I get a Pokétch here?' asked Nick, already knowing the answer.

'Yeah…' replied Jay, peeping out one eye. 'Let's go in and get you one.'

'Okay…' mumbled Nick, worried that he would not have enough money.

They crossed the road, oddly bereft of cars, and strolled through the sliding doors. Inside was a reception area, decorated in a sickly yellow. A bored-looking girl with long bunches of dark hair sat at the desk, resting her head in her hand, and a plump man with a small moustache conversed rapidly on a telephone behind her. The receiver was put down with a _byeeeee! _as the two boys crossed the room, and the girl suddenly sprang up, as if pretending she had not been daydreaming, and began organising some folders. The moustachioed man's eyes lit up as he caught sight of them, and floated towards the desk, an oversized pink silk shirt rippling in the gust from the nearby fan.

'Hi, Uncle Frederic!' laughed Jay, suddenly.

'Hello, Jay!' squealed the man, his voice much higher in pitch than his large frame would have suggested. Nick looked to Jay suddenly.

'Uncle!?'

'Oh, didn't I mention?' laughed Jay, 'My uncle is the owner of the Pokétch Company.' He was using the annoying condescending tone again.

'Yes, that's me!' giggled Frederic, clapping his hands together. 'How are you, nephew? And who's your friend? What can I do for you both on this fine day?' he added, firing many questions in quick succession.

'This is Nick.' nodded Jay, and the addressed boy smiled politely. 'He's just become a trainer, and he wanted a Pokétch.'

Nick suddenly felt embarrassed, as though he was being seen as a charity case. But the man giggled again.

'Certainly! Anything for a friend of the family.' he simpered. 'Crystal! A Pokétch for this young man!' he exclaimed at the girl. She jumped in fright, glared at her boss for a moment (he paid no attention) and kneeled down to open a small door. Moments later, she rose up holding a blue Pokétch, and passed it to Frederic, who took a cord coming from a computer by his telephone and inserted it into the device. He hummed a pleasant, if off-key, tune as he worked, and minutes later spun around on his heel and thrust the watch into Nick's hand.

'All ready for use, with the latest software installed!' he explained loudly.

'T-thank you…' nodded Nick, giving a faint smile, 'But don't you want money for it?'

'No, no, no!' burst Frederic, 'Not at all! It's yours! Happy to help! Go forth and experience the wonderful world with your Pokétch!'

Nick didn't know if this man was being patronising or was annoyingly nice, but he thanked him again regardless and strapped on his new Pokétch. It was not entirely comfortable, but since it had been free, he could not complain.

'Thanks, Uncle!' smiled Jay. The man simpered again, and then turned away to the computer as if the last few minutes had never happened. The girl known as Crystal sighed and began to slouch again as Nick and Jay left the room.

A hearty meal was happily supplied by the catering staff at the Pokémon Centre that evening. In all of the excitement, Nick had forgotten to have any food, and ate with gusto. Elekid sat on the floor underneath the small square table chomping on Pokémon food, while Arbok was coiled around Jay's waist in a slumber, hissing occasionally.

'So Jay,' started Nick, taking another bite of bread, 'Where do you think I should start my journey, and where should I go for my first gym battle?'

'Well,' replied Jay, unzipping his jacket slightly in order to reveal the inside of the breast, where was attached a small shining badge, 'If you want to win one of these beauties, I recommend Oreburgh City.'

'Whoa, what is _that_?' asked Nick, almost choking on his noodles.

'The Coal Badge, proof of my victory over Oreburgh's Gym Leader.' smirked Jay.

'You already beat a leader?' gasped Nick.

'I sure have, and I intend to defeat a lot more of them!' exclaimed Jay. Arbok hissed again, opening an eye.

'Where is Oreburgh?'

'It'll take a couple of hours to walk there. Just follow the eastern path from this city.'

Jay suddenly stood up.

'Well, Nick, I'm going to head home for the night.'

'You are?' replied Nick, who had, for some reason, been expecting them both to travel together.

'Just for tonight,' smiled Jay, 'Why sleep in one of the lumpy Pokémon Centre beds when I live so close by? And tomorrow I'll be off on my way again!' He took a step out from the table, reached into his pocket and laid down a tiny electronic card and a small stylus.

'A Pokétch application. It allows you to write down notes so that you remember important things on your travels.'

Nick grinned and nodded to his new friend.

'Thanks! Good luck!' he laughed.

'You too, Nick!' replied the other trainer, giving a thumbs-up and a wink, 'It's gonna be fun to have you as a rival!'

And with that, he dashed off, Arbok slithering behind him. It hissed at Elekid as it went, and the electric Pokémon growled and sparked. Nick looked down at his almost-empty plate. He had not realised how far ahead Jay was; he had a lot of catching up to do. The other boy had known a lot and had been of great help, but he knew he had to start doing things on his own. He finished his meal, withdrew Elekid, and retired to the bedrooms upstairs.

Somewhere else in the city, in a darkened basement room, some people dressed in black sat around a desk. Only the cold moon, apathetic glow of the streetlights and a small, dimmed desk lamp lit the room. The outlines of Pokémon moved sinisterly in the shadows as a gruff voice spoke from beneath a hat:

'Tomorrow, we go to the next city and take the rare objects that the reports mentioned.'

'But isn't that place heavily guarded?' asked another voice, 'I heard even the Gym Leader helps protect it.'

'Enough of that!' snapped the first voice, pounding the desk, 'We can take care of some pathetic trainer. Besides, we need to "stock up" after losing so much material lately…'

'I don't know about this…' interjected a third voice.

'Silence, Duane!' bit the first voice again, 'It was your fault that we lost those specimens, so you had better help recoup our losses!'

'It wasn't my fault!' cried the one called Duane. This grievance fell on deaf ears.

'By this time tomorrow, those items will be in our possession – and then we can get back in business.'

A guttural moan and a growl came from the nearby creatures, and the people got up to leave.


	5. We Will Rock Type You

Nick looked down at the Pokétch around his wrist as he strolled along the route connecting Jubilife to Oreburgh. The little map pinpointed his location in the area and directed him. Elekid did not travel in its Pokéball; its trainer liked the idea of having some company. He had installed the application that Nick had given him with ease, but he had no reason to use it yet. This road was not as crowded as the ones surrounding Twinleaf; lush, tall grass stretched out at either side of the dusty trail, while trees stood tall and lonely underneath the clouds. Occasionally, small figures dashed through the green blades, while bushes and oaks rustled and air bubbles rose from ponds – the world was alive with Pokémon. Nick squeezed the Pokéballs in his pocket tightly, wondering when the chance for him to catch his first Pokémon would occur. There were, however, more pressing matters at hand, like his battle with the Gym Leader in Oreburgh. Was he ready to challenge such a figure yet? He still didn't know a lot about Pokémon, but felt confident in his knowledge of Elekid's attacks; the leader, however, might have strong Pokémon that he had never seen or heard of… he might never win. But ultimately it didn't matter; as long as he found lots of species of Pokémon, Professor Rowan would be happy, and it would keep him on the road, away from the struggle of home.

x x x x x x x x x x x

Half an hour later, he found a sign indicating that he was approaching Oreburgh and, looking ahead, saw its small houses and large mining quarry in the distance.

'Almost there, Elekid!' he smiled.

'El!' was the reply.

'So, you made it this far.' came another voice. A startled Nick looked to the side of the road and saw Pearl sitting on the branch of a tree.

'Oh… hi,' he said, half-heartedly, 'What are you doing here?'

'Nothing,' she replied, dropping down from her perch and walking towards him, 'What are _you_ doing here?'

'I'm going to Oreburgh to take on the gym leader…' he murmured.

'Really?' she asked. For a moment Nick thought she was being nice and was genuinely interested. 'Wow, you must have done a lot more training since Lake Verity. You were terrible back then.'

Nick said nothing, but Pearl knew that he had not necessarily improved.

'You _do_ know that a Gym Leader isn't like any run-of-the-mill Pokémon trainer, don't you?' she spat, 'They are chosen by Pokémon League Officials to run battling establishments for them! There's no way an inexperienced trainer like you will be able to defeat Cain!'

'Cain?' asked Nick, ignoring her warning.

'He's the leader of the Oreburgh Gym.' sighed Pearl. 'Are you _really_ going to challenge him? Have you even caught any more Pokémon?'

'No, but… yeah, I'll fight him.' snorted Nick. He was getting tired of her attitude; just because he was newer in the field than her did not give her the right to talk down to him.

'Then how about a battle, as practice?' she asked with a pretentious smirk.

'A battle?' he had not expected this, but was eager to wipe the smile off of her face. 'Yeah, I accept!'

'I'll use two Pokémon,' she immediately stated, 'Let's see how you handle them.'

They moved apart to give the contenders room. Pearl took a ball from her satchel and threw it into the air:

'Prinplup, I choose you!' she wailed, as a flash of light heralded the reappearance of the Pokémon that had stood beside her during their last encounter.

_A water-type…_ thought Nick, _that means electrical attacks will be more effective!_

'Elekid, go on!' he cheered, as his Pokémon ran forward and faced-off against the penguin creature. Nick wasted no time in commanding its first move:

'Use Thundershock!'

Elekid clenched its fists and fired a jolt of power at Prinplup, but Pearl was quick to react too, as Prinplup released a gushing jet of water from its mouth. The two attacks collided, and the electricity became entwined with the water. Elekid took the blow and was sent flying back.

'Elekid! Are you okay?' cried Nick. The littke Pokémon instantly jumped to its feet and crackled.

'Elek!'

'Hmm…' grinned Pearl, 'Alright Prinplup, now use Bubblebeam!'

Her Pokémon spat out several bubbles with shot towards Elekid with a terrifying velocity.

'Elekid, dodge!' he called in a panic, 'And use… erm… Thunderpunch!'

Elekid obeyed; it leapt into the air and over Prinplup's attack, before soaring down on its foe and hitting it with a glowing fist.

'No!' cried Pearl. Nick tried to stop himself from smiling; he was obviously better than she expected.

'Now, Elekid!' he bellowed, 'Use your Quick Attack!'

The electric-type started dashing around Prinplup, gaining speed until it was barely viewable. The water Pokémon looked around, trying to pinpoint its target in confusion. Before it could, however, Elekid darted from nowhere and smashed into its body, sending it rolling back to Pearl's feet. With a stern look, she recalled it into its Pokéball.

'Ha! We did it! Great work, Elekid!' cheered Nick.

'Alright, you got lucky,' she growled, raising another Pokéball, 'But this is where it ends! Go, Ralts!'

In a flash, another Pokémon appeared. It was very small, more so than Elekid, and had a large mushroom-like cap covering most of its head, from which protruded what appeared to be two red horns. Nick pointed his Pokédex at it:

'Ralts, the Feeling Pokémon. It is attuned to the emotions of people, and is capable of using psychic abilities.'

Nick gulped; he had read about psychic Pokémon, and found their powers somewhat unsettling. Before he could formulate a plan, Pearl gave an order:

'Ralts, use Confusion!'

The newcomer's horns began to glow, and a blue beam of light was fired at Elekid. Nick had not put away the Pokédex, and it began to speak again:

'Confusion is an attack known by many psychic-type Pokémon. It causes mental pain to an opponent and may leave them confused and disorientated.'

'Elekid, watch out!'

But it was too late – the attack had hit Elekid. It closed its eyes and shook its head vigorously. Moments of silence passed, before it raised its head and clenched its fists again; it didn't seem to have been affected by Confusion.

'Alright! Elekid, are you okay?'

'El!' it smirked.

'Use Thundershock!'

The ensuing bolt made contact with Ralts' horns and the little Pokémon was shocked to the core. It collapsed face-down into the grass.

'Ralts, get up!' shouted Pearl in a harsh, demanding tone. Her partner obliged, and stood up again, poised to continue battling.

'Elekid, let's finish it off with a Thunderpunch!'

But before the attack could hit Ralts, Pearl recalled it back into its Pokéball. Nick looked at her, confused.

'Let's call it a draw.' she said, polishing Ralts' ball. 'I think your Elekid has had enough. It's important not to push your Pokémon too far… but I can't expect an inexperienced trainer like you to know that.'

Nick fumed. He had been winning, and she knew it. She began to walk away but, to his surprise, imparted some wisdom:

'Cain uses rock-type Pokémon,' she muttered, 'Electric attacks won't do much, so make use of Elekid's fighting-type moves.'

And with that, she raced ahead along the dust-strewn road. Nick was speechless.

x x x x x x x x x x x

Eventually, they reached Oreburgh City. It was much less glamorous than Jubilife, with small, rustic houses surrounding several industrial sites. Dirt and ash lined the streets and seemed to be part of the surrounding air too. Smells of burning coal and oil were not unpleasant, but the town struck Nick as too boisterous to be somewhere to spend one's life. He navigated the grimy roads and found the Pokémon Centre, where he and Elekid ate and rested.

'Do you think we can beat Cain, Elekid?' he asked, absent-mindedly stirring his soup.

'El!' smiled the Pokémon, a surge of power making it shiver. Nick smiled.

'You'll need to use your Low Kick and punching attacks a lot.' he stated. His partner nodded affirmatively. His thoughts were interrupted by a loud cry:

'Chan-see!'

He almost fell from his seat in surprise. Looking to his right, a rotund pink Pokémon holding a large egg.

'Erm… hello?' he offered. The pink Pokémon smiled. Then came another voice from the doorway of the room.

'Chansey! There you are!'

A pink-haired nurse dashed across the room and looked sternly at the Pokémon, which was also wearing a nurse's hat.

'You should be working!' she told it. She then looked at Nick. 'I'm so sorry if Chansey surprised you.'

'No, no, it's fine.' smiled Nick. 'I think it wanted to give me the egg it was holding actually.'

'Oh, really?' asked the nurse, her voice calmer. 'That's interesting… it's said that Chansey gives eggs to those it sees as having a kind heart, as a token of luck.'

Nick's smile widened as he accepted the egg from the Pokémon. Was it trying to give him courage to face the Oreburgh Gym?

'Anyway!' spouted the nurse, 'Chansey, get back to work!'

And with that, she followed her assistant out of the room. Nick looked at the egg with fondness.

x x x x x x x x x x x

After making his food last longer to put off the forthcoming challenge, and further navigation through the dirty city streets, he eventually found himself within the foyer of the gym. It was a small, brightly-lit room, with sickly yellow lights that made an irritating buzzing sound. The walls were stained and peeling and plastic chairs were untidily spread in the corners. A vacant reception desk was decorated with a sign: TRAINERS. PLEASE REPORT TO MAIN ARENA. He obeyed its instruction and pushed his way through a set of doors in front of him.

The massive room was strewn with large boulders and rocky platforms, dirt and sand covering the floor. It was dark, the far side of the room almost invisible in the blackness. He took a few steps forward, finding the courage that was not there when he entered Rowan's lab for the first time.

'Hello?' he called into the void. No sooner had the words left his lips than floodlights sparked into life at either side of the battlefield. At the far end, atop a podium, stood a man dressed in a red coat, with long, silver hair hanging to his waist. Although he was at the other side of the room, his voice was loud and audible.

'I am Cain of the Oreburgh Gym.' he announced in a stern but commanding voice.

'I… I am Nick, of T-Twinleaf Town.' stuttered Nick, unsure if he was worthy of a title yet.

'You wish to challenge me?' asked Cain. Nick nodded, and the man raised his hands as more lights began to glow. From the shadows at the side of the field appeared a boy, around Nick's age.

'The Gym Leader will use two rock-type Pokémon.' he said through a microphone. The contender may use up to six Pokémon. When both of the Leader's Pokémon are unable to battle, the contender wins.'

Nick instantly knew that he was out of his depth. He only had one Pokémon, and the limit was six. But he had no time to mull things over; Cain had thrown a Pokéball.

'Golem! I choose you!'

In a flash of light, a Pokémon that Nick had never seen appeared. It resembled a large, rugged boulder, from which protruded limbs and an animal-esque head.

'Golem, the Megaton Pokémon.' said the Pokédex, as Nick lifted it up. 'Its rock shell is immensely hard and is even resistant to a bomb. It rolls at enemies to attack.'

'Elekid… go.' commanded Nick, finding it difficult to muster any confidence or determination.

The little Pokémon sprang into battle.

'Golem, tackle it!' shouted Cain. The rock-type withdrew its body parts and the boulder rolled at Elekid. Before Nick could give an order, his Pokémon was struck by the force and knocked backwards and into one of the many piles of rocks.

'Elekid!' cried Nick, 'Elekid, get up! Use Thundershock!'

His partner struggled to its feet, clenched its fists and aimed the attack at Golem. Cain's Pokémon was encapsulated in the electrical charge, but barely flinched.

'Huh?' sounded Nick, bemused. He was beginning to sweat.

'Ridiculous.' sighed Cain. 'Golem, Rock Slide!'

Golem jumped in the air and came crashing down onto a nearby group of rocks. They were dislodged and flew towards Elekid, each of them knocking against the little Pokémon until it flew back again and fell to its feet, not moving.

'Elekid, no!' cried Nick, running towards his fallen ally.

'Elekid is unable to battle. Golem wins!' announced the referee.

Nick was not listening. He knelt beside his Pokémon and looked down at its face. It was breathing heavily, its closed eyes flickering between many cuts and marks. Nick felt something in his eye and buried his face in his hand. Moments passed, and he heard a Pokéball's recall sound, followed by approaching footsteps. Drying his eyes and looking up, he saw Cain standing above him. Up close, the man's weather-beaten face was more visible, his square jaw rugged with stubble that looked as hard as his rock Pokémon. His brown eyes were understanding but not entirely sympathetic.

'Is it your only Pokémon?' he asked. Nick made a noise and nodded, still struggling to hold back more tears.

'Are you a new trainer?'

Nick nodded again, looking down at Elekid.

'Rock-type Pokémon aren't affected by electric-type attacks.' stated Cain, his eyes still fixed on the boy. Nick raised his to meet them.

'But… I wanted to win.' muttered Nick, tears slowly beginning to run down his cheeks. It was only at this moment of defeat he had come to realise how important Pokémon had become to him, and how much he relied on them to keep him away from home… to keep him happy.

'There are many things you need to learn.' offered Cain softly. 'You can't always hope for the best and expect it to turn out. Pokémon battling requires strategy, and knowledge of different kinds of Pokémon. That, combined with a determined soul, will lead you to victory.'

Nick wiped his face on his sleeve then looked down at Elekid again. It began to stir, then opened its eyes slowly. The first thing it saw was its trainer making an effort to smile at it.

'But hey…' grinned Cain, kneeling down too. Nick looked up again to see the man giving an unexpected smile, 'I've got a lot to learn too – there is no single greatest trainer, and no one knows everything about these creatures.'

These words ceased Nick's tears and widened his smile. It was inevitable he would lose at times, and he would have to get used to it.

'Take your Pokémon to the Centre. It's not far from here.' nodded Cain, helping Nick – who was holding Elekid – to his feet. The large man spun on his heel and began to walk away, leaving the boy happier and determined.

x x x x x x x x x x x

'Your Elekid is fine!' chirped the nurse as she extended her hand to Nick, holding his Pokéball. He had been reading a Pokémon magazine about sightings of new species that was lying on the chair on which he sat, looking out into the city night.

'Oh… thank you.' smiled Nick, taking the Pokéball. 'I… I didn't mean to let it get so hurt…' he swallowed.

'I know you didn't.' she sweetly smiled. 'It happens all the time with trainers, but Pokémon are sturdy creatures – even the little ones. Very rarely will a battle lead to any serious injuries.'

'Hmm.' he grinned. The nurse curtsied and walked away. He pressed the button on the Pokéball, and in a flash, Elekid appeared. It swung its arms up and hugged Nick's neck.

'How are you feeling, buddy?' he laughed.

'El, Elekid!'

The Pokémon Centre was very hot, and Elekid's warm body didn't help.

'What do you say we take a walk?' asked Nick, looking up to the stars above the buildings.

x x x x x x x x x x x

The city was quiet and much more pleasant without the sound of traffic and machinery filling the air that was free of the dust that had polluted it earlier. Trainer and Pokémon strolled the streets, enjoying the cool night air, reading the road signs and decorative plaques that detailed the city's history, from its origins as a mining quarry to its development into a large settlement. One such piece was an impressively-built statue of a squat man with a small, muscular Pokémon at his feet. Nick squinted to read the golden plate: IN MEMORY OF EARL STONE AND MACHOP

The text beneath the title described how the man and his Pokémon had perished when the coal mine collapsed during their work. Nick felt sad but, in a way, appreciated how they had worked together until the very end. Looking up at the stone face of Earl, something else caught his eye; a black, crow-looking Pokémon was perched on top of the statue's head.

'What is that? Is it a Pokémon?' He took out the Pokédex.

'Murkrow. This Pokémon is said to be a bad omen, and that ominous occurrences await those who see it at night.'

The Murkrow let out a caw that sounded suspiciously like a wicked laugh.

'Sounds pretty unlucky, huh, Elekid?' he asked.

'El…' nodded the Pokémon.

'But not for us, because I'm gonna catch it!' he said, his confidence having returned. He looked down to his pocket to find an empty Pokéball, but was distracted by a loud, shrill, ringing sound from nearby. He looked around frantically, trying to find the source, and caught a glimpse of Murkrow flying away to the rooftops.

'Darn…' he muttered, but instinctively began running to the building where the ringing was coming from as many lights suddenly flashed on through its windows.

x x x x x x x x x x x

They approached the doorway of the building and looked above the door; it was the Oreburgh Mining Museum. Looking into the doors, which looked damaged, as if they had been forced open, he saw a group of men, dressed entirely in black. Flat caps covered their heads while black masks covered their eyes; Nick instantly knew they were criminals.

'For Pete's sake, Duane! First you damage the doors on the way in, and now you set off the alarms!' shouted one of the men at another.

'That's not important right now!' bellowed yet another man, who spoke in a tone suggesting he was the leader of the pack. 'Now, you! Tell us where the Pokémon fossils are!'

He was talking to a man who was on his knees in the middle of them all. He wore a white lab coat and the emergency lights reflected off of his thick glasses.

'P-please…' he whimpered, 'You… you can't t-take our fossils…'

'Shut up!' snarled the black-clad man again. 'Tell us where they are now before I get _really_ angry!'

The scared man still didn't speak.

'Maybe _this_ will jog your memory… Seadra, Ice Beam!'

From the corner of the room leapt a seahorse-looking Pokémon with long, spiked fins. It released a jet of glowing, shining ice from its mouth that hit the man's arm. He screamed in pain, and Nick couldn't stand by any longer.

'Elekid! Thunderpunch!'

Elekid darted into the room, with Nick following close behind. His Pokémon jumped into the air, swung its fist at Seadra and struck the overgrown seahorse with electricity. It curled in pain and crashed through a glass display case.

'What the…?' cried the man, turning round to see Nick. His face – or what could be seen of it – was a picture of fury.

'Who's this kid? Seadra, Bubblebe-'

But before the man could finish his command, Nick made his. Elekid released a bolt of lightning and brought Seadra to the floor again.

'Seadra, no!' cried the man in black. 'Someone else take care of this brat!'

'There's no time, the cops will be here soon!' called another man.

'Let's get out of here!' added another.

'Gah…' growled the leader, recalling his Seadra and following his accomplices out of the open doors. As he passed Nick, however, he stopped in his tracks and looked down at Elekid. It growled at him, but the man smirked.

'Well, look who it is…'

And with that, he pushed the boy to the floor and disappeared into the night. Nick got to his feet and ran over to the other injured man.

'Are you okay?' he asked in a panic.

'I'm fine…' replied the man, 'My arm is just numb from the Ice Beam attack.' He got to his feet without assistance. 'Thank you very much for helping me… who knows what they might have done if you hadn't shown up… they might have got the fossils.'

'What are these fossils they wanted?'

'Here at the museum,' replied the man, clutching his arm, 'We have what we believe are fossils of extinct, rare Pokémon, and we're trying to use technology to clone copies of them to reintroduce the species back into the world.'

'Wow…' muttered Nick, 'That sounds amazing.'

'Yes, but sadly Team Obsidia now have the blueprints.'

'Team Obsidia? Blueprints?' asked Nick.

'Yes, those criminals are a well-known group called Team Obsidia. They travel the country, stealing Pokémon and selling them on black markets to make money.'

'That's terrible!' snapped Nick.

'Yes, I know. And now, even though they don't have our fossils, they have the design data of the machines we planned to use to clone Pokémon, which we were very close to perfecting… who knows what they'll do with it…' sighed the man.

'But… didn't they run off with nothing?' breathed Nick. He was still exhausted from the commotion.

'No, the alarms only went off a while after they'd arrived. I was working in one of our research rooms upstairs when they triggered them. They somehow managed to break in the front door without setting them off, but they had already taken the data sheets that I had left down here in the exhibition gallery.'

At these words, Nick looked around; the room was full of cabinets displaying items relevant to Oreburgh's mining history. At that moment, several police officers ran into the museum, each with a Growlithe at their feet.

'What's the commotion?' yelled one of the officers, a red-haired man with a thick moustache.

'Team Obsidia have made off with some of our property.' stated the museum worker.

'Not those crooks again!' growled another officer, turning to others behind him. 'Send out back-up to search the city! Team Obsidia are on the move!'

The men at the back jogged outside again. The red-haired officer pointed at Nick.

'We're going to have to ask _you_ a few questions too, kid.'

x x x x x x x x x x x

He woke up in bed at the Pokémon Center the next morning, after a fitful sleep the night before, full of dreams about criminals stealing his Pokémon while a flock of Murkrow cackled up above. The police had kept him up until late, interrogating him about things he did not know. The museum worker, who had turned out to be named Gerald, defended him, even calling him a hero. With a smile at this memory, he sat up to see the pink-haired nurse standing in the doorway.

'Sorry if I woke you' she smiled, 'But someone is here to see you. They're waiting in reception.'

'Uh…?' groaned Nick, confused and still sleepy. He quickly put on some clothes and made for the door, deciding not to wake Elekid – it would probably have resulted in a shock.

He followed the corridor to the main waiting room, past photos of the Centre past and present, of the various visitors it had played host to and the Pokémon it had treated. He seemed to be the only person here except the staff. The morning sun shone brightly through the large windows as he reached the foyer, lending a feeling of rebirth to the room. A tall silhouette was blackened against the golden gleam, and as he got closer, Nick realised it was Cain.

'H-Hi…' he stammered.

'I heard about what you did last night.' replied the man. His voice was neutral; was he angry with Nick? Pleased? Jealous?

'Oh…'

'I just came by to give you this.' confirmed Cain, holding out his hand. In it was a small, almost circular, shining bronze medal.

'A… badge?' asked Nick, looking up from Cain's hand to his face.

'Gym badges are awarded to trainers who show exceptional bravery, knowledge and skill in battle,' he stated, 'And from what I heard from my friends at the museum, you showed all three.'

Nick couldn't speak. He did not expect this from Cain, especially after their conversation the day before. He slowly took the badge, and looked at it. Words just weren't coming.

'Great use of electric-type attacks to take down a water-type – they're very weak to your Elekid's powers.'

Nick had guessed this, but a silent pride swelled inside him as this expert trainer congratulated his intuition.

'Keep up what you did last night, and you'll be taking down Gym Leaders in no time.' finished Cain with the biggest grin Nick had seen on his face yet.

'T-Thank you.' was all he could manage in reply.

The large man turned and left the Centre, his silver hair turning a shade of gold in the warm light.


	6. Nick Catches a Pokémon!

He placed Chansey's egg on the windowsill of the Pokémon Centre, among some flowerpots, as a beacon of hope to future trainers. The sun had turned from golden to yellow, clouds drifting over it as if turning the light on and off. Nick and Elekid stood outside the building, and with a nod and a grin to each other, set off once again. His sense of accomplishment, despite not defeating Cain in battle, was large, and he was ready to give training and adventuring a full-hearted start. His smiles were returned by passers-by in the grimy streets; the people of Oreburgh, despite being ridden with dirty surroundings and a bustling mining industry, seemed to share a working class unity. The lips from one of the smiles suddenly opened.

'Hi, Nick!' said Gerald.

'Oh… hello!' he replied, slightly startled. Gerald was still wearing his white lab coat.

'Glad I caught you. I wanted to thank you for saving me last night.'

'You already thanked me,' smiled Nick, 'Don't worry about it.'

'I was too shaken to properly give my thanks.' nodded Gerald, firmly but kindly. 'I want you to have this.'

He held up a Pokéball. It was blue, and emblazoned with a large letter M.

'What… is it?' asked Nick, inquisitively.

'The Master Ball.' affirmed Gerald. 'It is a prototype of a ball that some of my friends in the Pokémon Science world have been working on. Its success rate certain.'

'Success rate?'

'The chances of a ball capturing a wild Pokémon.' said Gerald instantly. 'Usually, a wild creature must be weakened until it cannot resist capture. This ball, however, is guaranteed to be successful regardless of the physical state of the target.'

'Great!' chirped Nick, ideas of how easily it would now be to catch more companions. Gerald saw this look though, and his tone changed to a sterner one.

'It should not be used lightly.' he scolded. 'Only use this during a once-in-a-lifetime encounter; a Pokémon that is your heart's desire.'

'I understand.' replied Nick, truthfully.

'I shouldn't really be giving it to you, as it's a classified item, but please accept it as a sign of my heartfelt thanks.'

Nick took the ball, enjoying its cold, metallic feel for a moment, and then putting it deep into his bag.

'You know,' continued Gerald, 'You remind me of Professor Drasil.'

From Nick's facial expression, the bespectacled man guessed that elaboration was required.

'He was the Pokémon Researcher who I studied under until he disappeared ten years ago.'

'He disappeared?' asked Nick, his eyebrows rising.

'Yes. His assistants said he had left to do special fieldwork; to find an elusive, legendary Pokémon. But he never returned and hasn't been seen until this day.'

'And… in what way do I remind you of him?' frowned Nick.

'The look in your eyes. That burning ambition and drive to do better in your training. Drasil had the same demeanour, right up until he disappeared forever.' smiled Gerald. Nick couldn't help but smile too.

'Where should I go from here?'

'Well…' began the scientist, stroking his chin, 'Since you're challenging gyms, maybe you should visit Mauheru Town. There is a small gym there that specialises in fire-types, if I remember correctly.'

'How do I get there?' asked Nick, sheepishly.

'Oh, it's easy. Just head through the caves outside of Oreburgh then follow the river on the other side. You should be able to track your way there with your Pokétch.'

He had almost forgotten about the fantastic technology at his disposal. He said fond goodbyes to Gerald and set off in the direction the museum worker had indicated. The road became more and more clean as he went.

x x x x x x x x x x x

He found a stairway of grassy ledges at the edge of town, ascending towards a cave entrance in the hills. It was easy to climb to the top, and the wind blew a chill through his bones as he peered into the tunnel. The thick darkness as black as a Murkrow's wing, and a sense of foreboding seemed to emanate from it. He looked to his companion.

'Could you light the way for us?'

'El!' cried the Pokémon, and with a clench of its fists created a halo of electric light around its antennae. It walked several yards into the cave and, to Nick's delight, the floor and walls became visible.

'Alright, good job!' he cheered. 'Oh, and this will help too!' he added, pulling a torch from his rucksack. He had packed it at home for such occasions. With a deep breath, he followed Elekid.

x x x x x x x x x x x

The tunnel was cramped, with strange moss that seemed to breathe growing on the walls above a muddy, rock-strewn floor. The ventured further and further, to the point where Nick was having doubts – should they turn back and find another way to the next town? But before he could put any such contingency plans into action, their respective flashes suddenly extended to illuminate a vast cavern, with cold water dripping from its stalactites into small streams that branched into several other routes. There was a scuttle, and moving shadows escaped into the larger, static shades of the surroundings. Nick gulped, but the ground looked well-trodden, as though many travellers had passed through before him.

'Why don't we take this tunnel?' asked Nick, pointing to and approaching a path opposite them. Surely continuing straight ahead was a good idea. Elekid skipped along after him, as they trudged over the marsh-like terrain, their feet occasionally sinking into the mud or slipping on loose stones. A few steps into the passage, he accidentally kicked a rock further into the darkness. A distant squeaking sound and then the approaching flapping of wings followed its echoing rattle.

'What… is that noise?'

'Elekid… El…' growled the Pokémon. It grabbed at Nick's hand and begin to motion him back. As the sound grew louder, Nick began to take quick steps back and the broke into a run. No sooner had they both dived to the ground than a flock of blue bat Pokémon zoomed overhead, their fangs glistening in the torchlight, their shrill cries reverberating around the room.

'Those are Zubat!' exclaimed Nick, pulling himself up to get a better look. Perhaps he could catch one of them for himself. However, Elekid dragged him down again, and they lay in silence until the creatures had disappeared from sight and sound.

Dusting themselves off, trainer and Pokémon looked around to choose another route. Although there were many passages to explore, he reasoned that he should follow the one that most footsteps and eroded ground led to. And so they did.

'This place is huge, huh, Elekid?'

'Elll…' muttered the Pokémon. It had a vigilant look in its eyes, as though it had sensed a presence in the surroundings.

The tunnel that they followed was larger than the one through which they entered, which somehow made it more sinister. There was more room to move… or for something else to move closer to them. Suddenly, the reach of their lights stopped extending and highlighted a large pile of rocks. It completely blocked any advancement.

'No! Now what?' shouted Nick, frustrated and feeling defeated like he had at the Oreburgh Gym. Elekid, however, grinned beneath its static charge, and began shattering the rocks with punches and kicks, as well as throwing others aside at a rapid speed.

'Elekid, that's great!' laughed Nick, 'We'll be through in no time if you keep that up!'

He watched his Pokémon pummel the rocks, and as the minutes went by, the rest of the tunnel came into sight.

'Okay, Elekid! I think if you just destroy that large rock in the middle, that should do.' he commanded, pointing at a large, strangely-coloured and pointed boulder.

'Elekid!' cried the Pokémon, and wound back its fist. It delivered a huge blow to the target, but strangely, it only slid back a few feet and did not shatter.

'Huh?'

'El?'

Nick stared at the strange object, trying to figure out why it had not broken like the others. An explanation came when it slowly began to move by itself; it wobbled to and fro, and then two smaller flapping rocks extended from its sides.

'Nuuuuuu…' came a guttural, growling moan.

'W-What's… going on?' cowered Nick. Was this rock haunted? Were there ghosts in this cave?

The rock suddenly began to spin round slowly, revealing a large, protruding nose-shaped appendage, which was pinker in colour compared to the blue hue of the rest of its surface.

'Is that… a Pokémon…?' stuttered Nick.

'Elek!' snapped Elekid, as though motioning Nick to check his Pokédex. He complied:

'Nosepass, the Compass Pokémon. Its body is comprised of rock, and its nose serves as an electromagnetic compass that it uses to navigate caves.'

'Wow!' grinned the trainer. He would not let this Pokémon get away. 'Elekid! Thundershock!'

Elekid leapt into the air and crashed down on Nosepass, firing a bolt at its large nose. The rock-type looked injured, but its perpetually-closed eyes were difficult to read.

'And again, Elekid!'

His Pokémon aimed another attack at Nosepass, but this time the latter grabbed the former by the fist, swung it around and sent it crashing into the wall of the cave. The light on its head flickered and died as it fell to the ground.

'Elekid!' cried Nick, his torch becoming the only source of light. Moments later, however, its shine was rejoined with Elekid's, as the electric-type pulled itself to its feet.

'Alright!' he exclaimed. Pearl's words echoed in his head:

_Electric attacks won't do much against rock-types, so make use of Elekid's fighting-type moves_.

He commanded Elekid to aim punches and kicks at Nosepass. His partner began to beat the opponent, which did not seem to defend. Suddenly, however, it raised its stubby arms and in a flash of light, several floating stones appeared around its body. These flew in all directions and knocked Elekid away from it and onto its back at Nick's feet.

'What was that?' wondered Nick, beginning to panic. The Pokédex answered his question:

'Stone Edge. Nosepass uses the magnetism of its nose to control stones around it, as well as ones that it can break off of its body at will. It is difficult for an opponent to avoid this move.'

As Nick looked up from the screen, he saw Nosepass gather more rocks around itself.

'Elekid, get ready to swing a Thunderpunch!'

'El!'

Seconds later, one of Nosepass' rocks was soaring towards Elekid. Obeying its trainer, the electric-type whacked the projectile with a charged fist, and sent the rock flying back at the target. Nosepass was struck by the thundering stone, shuddered, and fell backwards. Nick instinctively withdrew a Pokéball from his pocket; he had been waiting for this moment. Taking a second to aim, he threw the ball through the damp air of the cave and hit Nosepass' squarely on its large nose. In a flash of red light, it was sucked inside the ball. Overcome with joy, Nick began to approach the ball, but stopped when he noticed that it was wriggling from side to side, with a small noise emanating from it. Nosepass was obviously trying to escape.

'Come on…' he prayed, through gritted teeth. Both trainer and Pokémon were clenching their fists.

What seemed like an eternity passed, wrought with fear, anticipation and cold sweat, before the ball stopped, and remained motionless. Then what seemed like an eternity passed before Nick accepted that he had been successful in his capture, picked up the ball, and smiled down at the new friend that lay inside.

x x x x x x x x x x x

They continued along the tunnel in a proud silence. Nick polished the Pokéball containing Nosepass with fondness. Obtaining a powerful creature as your own was like nothing he had ever felt before. His gaze was not stolen from the ball (which he purposefully illuminated with the torch) until a cry from Elekid indicated to him that they had reached a fork in the road.

'Oh…' muttered Nick, his senses returning to him, 'Looks like we're a little lost.'

He thought for a moment, before Elekid helped by pointing at the Pokéball in his hand. Nick instantly knew what his original companion meant.

'Of course!' he laughed, 'Nosepass uses the magnet in its nose to get around caves! Maybe it can help us get out of here!'

His stomach shook under the weight of nerves as he prepared to unleash his new Pokémon for the first time. Eventually, he plucked up the courage, and tossed the ball into the air. The light that heralded its appearance illuminated the cave. It turned to look at its new trainer through the light from Elekid's head.

'Uh… hi, Nosepass.' greeted Nick, forcing a faint smile. 'I'm Nick, and this is Elekid.' He thought it would be appropriate to introduce himself, and he hoped that the creature had understood his words.

'Nuuuu… Nosepass!' it replied, still standing motionless.

'Could you help us find our way out of the cave towards Mauheru Town?' he asked, the voice in his dry throat breaking slightly from nervousness.

Several seconds of uncertainty passed before Nosepass nodded, spun around on the spot, and began walking briskly down the left-hand way. It did not stop to check that its partners were following it, so they began to hurry along behind the stony monster, Nick shouting his thanks.

x x x x x x x x x x x

The tunnel continued in a straightforward manner until light became visible a few hundred yards away. Nosepass toddled along in a happy-go-lucky fashion; it had helped Nick greatly, but he was unsure if the creature actually cared whether or not he had followed it. Was it just trying to get away from him?

'Thank you for helping us, Nosepass!' he called ahead to it.

'Nuuuu…' it chimed.

As they got closer and closer to the outside world, another flapping noise suddenly interrupted. Nick and Elekid turned and shone their lights back into the pitch-black they had came from. Nosepass stopped and slowly turned too; apparently it did care about them.

'Is it more Zubat?'

It did not sound like there were as many this time… but somehow the wings were heavier and more intimidating. A rapidly-moving figure suddenly came into view; it was a much larger bat Pokémon, with a gaping mouth lined with four fangs, from which protruded a long tongue which dripped with a dangerous looking substance.

'That's not a Zubat…' mused Nick, lifting his Pokédex.

'Golbat, the evolved form of Zubat.' it began. 'It drinks the blood of its prey after piercing its skin with its extremely powerful fangs. It can also secrete toxic.'

'Don't let that thing come near us!' shouted Nick to his Pokémon, a little scared by the flying creature after what the Pokédex had just informed him. He wracked his brain trying to remember the name of the attack that Nosepass had used earlier; Elekid would surely be too weak to battle after keeping the cave lit for so long. Just as Golbat got into swooping distance, he clicked:

'Nosepass, use Stone Edge!'

A moment passed in which he worried that the rock-type had ran away while his back was turned but, thankfully, stones then shot over his head and hit the attacking poison-type.

'Golbaaaa-!' it cried, as it was knocked backwards and out of sight.

'Good job, Nosepass! You too, Elekid! Now let's get out of here!'

He returned his team to their Pokéballs and began to sprint towards the exit.

x x x x x x x x x x x

The fresh air hit his face and a sense of relief washed over him as he looked out at the grand river cascading from the mountain. A wide path ran parallel with it, covered in pink-green grass and dotted with trees that swayed in the tranquil winds. He found it difficult to remove the smile from his face as he followed the trail; it was wider than that of the Wooper that occasionally popped their heads out of the water as wild Starly flew overhead.

A short while later, a small mountain town came into view, and a nearby signpost confirmed that it was Mauheru. With a grin, Nick began to run down the steep hill leading down to where he would hopefully attain his next badge.


	7. A Chance of a Ghost

Mauheru Town was quaint and quiet. An orange afternoon sky yawned above the white, dusty buildings as Nick approached the small Pokémon Centre. A strange clown-looking Pokémon swept the garden of a nearby house, whistling a discordant tune. As he pushed his way through the grimy glass doors, a familiar voice startled him out of his tired silence.

'Hey, rookie!'

Nick turned to see the smiling face of Jay, slumped on a sofa with Arbok coiled around his feet and a small, blue animal asleep on his lap.

'Oh, hello!' chirped Nick, wandering over and sitting opposite his acquaintance.

'So… how's the training going?' asked the other boy. His hair was greasier than when they had first met, his shirt marked with dark patches of sweat.

'Great, I got the Coal Badge!' he blurted out. His desire to impress Jay was strangely overwhelming.

'Well, fancy that.' grinned his rival, stroking the creature in front of him. 'I didn't think you had it in you.'

Nick elaborated how he achieved the badge, and the occurrences that he had witnessed. Jay listened intently, but seemed to be trying not to look as interested as he was.

'Team Obsidia… they've been in the news in the past. How they handle Pokémon is disgusting.'

'Yeah…' sighed Nick. His attention was diverted to the new member of the group that yawned as Jay moved his legs.

'What is it?' he asked.

'A new Pokémon I caught on my way here.' smiled Jay, stroking its fur. 'It's a Shinx, an electric-type. Just like your Elekid.'

Nick took a closer look at Shinx.

'It's so cute!' he laughed, subsequently feeling silly for saying it.

'Not only that, but it's a strong little thing too… unfortunately not as strong as the Mauheru Gym Leader.'

'What do you mean?'

'Well, she uses fire-types. My Pokémon weren't even at a disadvantage, but she flattened us with ease.'

'Sounds nasty…' mused Nick, looking out the window at the darkening trees.

'You caught any new Pokémon?' asked Jay. Nick had to consider his answer for a moment.

'Oh, yeah. A Nosepass.'

The other boy suddenly started laughing.

'What's so funny?' questioned Nick.

'Well, it's… a pretty dumb-looking Pokémon.' sneered the other. Nick frowned.

'I like it. I think it's a strong, cool Pokémon.'

'Well, whatever floats your boat, I guess. Are you going to challenge Flannery?'

Nick assumed that this Flannery was the Mauheru Gym Leader.

'Yes.' he snapped. He was still annoyed by Jay's ignorance.

'Well, good luck to you.' his rival replied. 'The Gym is closed until tomorrow, so you might want to rest up here and do some training.'

'Thanks… I will.' nodded Nick, standing up and retiring to the bedrooms, picking up a magazine (_Pokémon Watch_) as he went.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The room was dark when he woke up to a cry of 'Elek!' and he took a few moments to remember where he was. _Pokémon Watch_ lay open across his chest; he had been looking at pictures of Wailord leaping out of the ocean and an article detailing the discovery of new Pokémon species in some faraway land when he had fallen asleep. Staggering to the other side of the room, he turned on the light to see Elekid standing on the bedside table, holding a wireless telephone receiver.

'Huh? A 'phone?' questioned Nick, the light hurting his tired eyes.

'El, Elekid!' his Pokémon replied. It suddenly dawned on him that Elekid thought he should call his parents.

'Mom and Dad, of course…' he muttered, taking the receiver and slowly pressing in some numbers. He looked out to the trees as the tense dialling tone rang. Moments later, his mother's voice spoke.

'Hello, Azalea residence…'

'Hi, Mom. It's Nick.' greeted her son.

'Oh, hi, Honey! Where are you? Are you okay?'

'I'm fine. I'm at the Pokémon Centre in Mauheru Town.'

'Mauheru Town!' gasped his mother. 'That's so far away!'

Nick thought for a moment; it really wasn't that far from Twinleaf Town. Her motherly worry was just getting the better of her.

'How are you, Mom?' he asked, somehow already knowing the answer.

'We're doing alright.' she chirped back. The fact that she had said 'We' clearly meant that things between his parents were still uneasy.

'I see.' he muttered.

'Nothing for you to worry about.' she concluded. 'How is your Pokémon journey going?'

'I got a badge from the Oreburgh Gym, and I caught a wild Nosepass.' he grinned.

'Wow! That's fantastic, Son. I didn't know you had it in you to be a trainer!' came the reply. Nick didn't know whether to take it as a compliment or an insult.

'T-Thanks.' he said. 'Anyway, I suppose I better go… I'm challenging the Mauheru Gym Leader tomorrow.'

'I'm rooting for you, Honey!' she cheered back.

'Thanks, Mom. Bye.'

'Bye, I love y-'

He had pressed the button to hang up a few seconds too quickly.

'I love you too…' he said under his breath, putting the phone back on the desk. Without him noticing, Elekid had disappeared from the room. Nosepass sat in the corner asleep, looking like a strange, ornamental table. As he turned to go back to bed, Elekid came running back into the room, closely followed by Jay.

'Nick! There you are!' cried his arrogant accomplice.

'What's the matter?' he asked.

'It's the forest outside! Team Obsidia are there!'

Nick's body tensed and a wave of anger surged through him.

'What? What are they doing now?'

'I'm not sure, but they might be after the Pokémon in the forest! I think we should follow them!'

Without a second thought, Nick recalled his Pokémon and followed outside. They found a nurse standing on the cold doorstep, her large blue eyes tinged with despair, her hat slightly askew atop her raven-coloured hair.

'Nick, this is Mona, the chief nurse of the Centre.'

'What did you see?' asked Nick instinctively.

'Two members of Team Obsidia…' she started, clasping her hands together in grief, 'I saw them enter Eterna Forest carrying Pokéballs. I think they might be after the Pokémon that live there.'

'What kind of Pokémon live there?' piped up Jay.

'Ghosts…' said the nurse. Jay's eyes widened slightly, but then he tried to retain his cool. Nick, on the other hand, was more taken aback:

'Ghosts!'

'Yes, Mauheru Town – especially the forest – is home to several species of ghost-type Pokémon. Tourists who want something a little different flock to "The Ghost Town."'

Nick looked around and realised that there was indeed a spooky charm about the area, ghostly faced emblazoned on the bark of the trees and the grime on the white walls of the homes.

'Don't tell me you haven't heard of ghost-types!' chuckled Jay. 'I bet you're afraid!'

His laughter was met by a glare from Mona, and he quietened down.

'Ghost Pokémon are Pokémon just like any other. They may be shunned more than other types, but they are living creatures with feelings too. They don't deserve what Team Obsidia might be trying to do to them.' she scolded.

Nick nodded in agreement; he was not keen on the idea of coming face-to-face with a ghost, but he cared about Pokémon enough to know she was speaking the truth; the way the Nosepass species had been treated by people only reinforced his feelings.

'Shall we follow them?' he asked.

'Yes… let's go.' both Jay and the nurse replied. Suddenly, Mona withdrew a Pokéball and threw it into the air:

'Gengar! Dance through the shadows of the trees and locate Team Obsidia!'

In a flash, a pitch-black creature appeared. Its small demonic frame was decorated with red, piercing eyes and a large mouth lined with white fangs. It floated through the air and instantly vanished into the shadows.

'Gengar, my own ghost-type, will help us find them!' she declared, and she began to run through the trees. Nick and Jay looked to each other, nodded, and began to follow her. Nick hadn't been as scared of the ghost as he thought he would have been.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

After minutes of cold, wordless running through contorted, darkly-coloured trees, Gengar's eyes reappeared in the blackness of the air.

'Gengar, did you find them?' asked Mona.

'Gen… gar!' it growled, and began to lead the trio in another direction. They eventually found themselves in a clearing that was flooded with moonlight from above. In the centre stood the two members of Team Obsidia that had been seen earlier, and near the treetops above them floated a large circle of different Pokémon that Nick assumed to be ghost-types. He lifted his Pokédex and surveyed the various creatures:

'Gastly, the Gas Pokémon. Its gaseous body allows it to change shape and suffocate enemies by enveloping them in gas.'

This Pokémon did not sound entirely pleasant. He pointed the Pokédex at two purple creatures beside it:

'Misdreavus and its evolved form, Mismagius. Misdreavus loves to scare people and use their fear as energy, while Mismagius can chant incantations to inflict damage on its foes and make them have hallucinations.'

He observed a ball-shaped creature with spindly, dangling legs.

'Drifloon. A flying- and ghost-type, it floats on the winds and is said to be a signpost for wandering spirits.'

Finally, he paid attention to a motionless bug-like creature.

'Shedinja. It is the exoskeleton of an evolved Nincada that has come to life. While technically undead, it is still capable of battling.'

Putting his Pokédex into his pocket, Nick noticed two other creatures on the scene. Owl Pokémon were flying around the circle of ghosts, encapsulating them in a dome of light. The ghosts began to struggle to move, but seemed to be trapped inside, while a smaller dome was apparently protecting the Team Obsidia members.

'Those poor Pokémon!' cried Mona. 'They're using those Noctowl to render the ghosts harmless!' she added, running forward.

'Come on!' cried Nick, and Jay followed.

'Stop this at once!' bellowed the nurse at the grunts.

'Well, if it isn't the nurse from the Pokémon Centre, come to protect some horrible ghosts!' sneered one of the men.

'What do you think you're doing?' shouted Nick.

'We're capturing these rare Pokémon to sell to collectors and weirdos who would want to keep this type.' laughed the other man, in a matter-of-factly tone.

'You're scum!' yelled Jay 'Shinx, shock that stupid bird!'

Shinx leapt off of its trainer's shoulder and released a Thunderbolt attack, clipping the wings of one of the Noctowl. It fell out of sight into the trees and the attack encapsulating the ghosts weakened.

'Don't get in our way or we'll be forced to take you down too!' snarled a grunt. The two criminals began to throw Pokéballs at the ghost-types, and they were sucked inside. The Pokéballs remained levitating in mid-air, wriggling as the ghosts tried to escape.

'No! You can't capture them!' screamed Mona, her angry eyes filling with tears. She turned to the boys. 'Use your electric Pokémon to stop the Noctowl!'

'Right!' nodded Nick, and he sent Elekid out to join Shinx. Mona lifted another Pokéball.

'Assist us with your haunting electricity, Rotom!'

From the ball emerged a small, pointed creature that seemed to be composed of electrical plasma.

'Altogether, now! Thundershock!' commanded Mona. Elekid and Shinx looked to their trainers for confirmation. After a nod of approval from the two, they attacked alongside Rotom. Three bolts of electricity shot towards the two Noctowl. One of them was struck by two of the attacks and fell to the ground, where it was recalled into its ball.

'You meddling punks!' growled the creature's owner.

'I'll take care of them.' said the other. 'Noctowl, use Air Slash!'

The remaining owl flapped its wings with a great force, and a blade of air sliced through the surroundings and cut into Shinx. Jay saw that his Pokémon was hurt and withdrew it.

'Good job, buddy.' he muttered.

'Rotom, Shock Wave!' ordered Mona. The electric ghost released several bolts of lightning and knocked Noctowl backwards and into is own energy dome.

'We have to destroy that barrier to free the Pokémon and get rid of Team Obsidia!' shouted Mona. She turned to Nick.

'Don't you have a Nosepass?'

'Uh… yeah, I do…' he said.

'Have it use a rock-type move!'

Nick released Nosepass as Noctowl came soaring back at them for revenge.

'Nosepass, Rock Throw!' he yelled. A rock appeared in the Pokémon's hands, and it threw it with all its might towards the oncoming bird. The stone was shocked by Elekid and Rotom, blasting into Noctowl and sending it crashing through the dome, destroying its own defensive power. The Pokéballs containing the ghost-types fell to the ground.

'Now, get outta here!' shrieked Mona at the two Team Obsidia grunts, who were no longer protected.

'Poison Sting!' came Jay's voice, and in a moment, his Arbok was chasing the two men out of the clearing, spitting venomous needles at them as they ran. Mona quickly approached the balls. One by one they began to burst open, the creatures inside howling as they escaped into the night. One single ball, however, remained still. This capture had been successful.

'Oh, no…' moaned the nurse, picking it up. She pressed the button on it and a Gastly appeared.

'What happens now?' asked Nick, concerned for the monster.

'Well, we can't release it,' Mona replied sadly, 'Only the trainer who captured the Pokémon can send it away.'

'We can't just leave it in a Pokéball!' cried Nick.

'I know. I will take it and raise it as my own. In time, hopefully it will grow to trust me.' she said. The Gastly hovered around the clearning looking confused, its large eyes hollow and fearful, it's long tongue hanging out.

'Mona,' began Nick, 'How come it is still bound to the trainer despite the horrible way in which it was captured?'

'There is an unwritten, innate rule that a Pokémon will obey the human who captures it. They do not differentiate between good and evil, they simply follow command. That's why those Noctowl will partake in nefarious deeds – because their trainers are bad people and command them to.'

Nick looked down to Nosepass. He now understood why it had followed his orders right off the bat.

'Treating them with love, trust, kindness and respect, however,' continued Mona, 'Is the correct way, and helps build bridges between the worlds of human and Pokémon.'

Elekid smiled up at Nick, who reciprocated. Nosepass, while lacking any visible mouth, seemed to be grinning too.

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'I can't thank you enough for your help tonight.' smiled Mona as they re-entered the Pokémon Centre.

'It was your fantastic Pokémon that did most of the work!' he chirped back. 'Anyway, I suppose I had better get some sleep… I'm challenging Flannery tomorrow.'

'Ah, Flannery. A very good friend of mine.' smiled Mona. 'I shouldn't, but since you helped me, I'll give you a hint: a talented rock Pokémon like your Nosepass will be super-effective against her fire-types.'

'T-Thanks!' laughed Nick nervously. He and Jay wished the nurse goodnight, and returned to the bedroom, as smiling, ghostly faces pressed against the window outside.


	8. Burning Ambition

'Good morning, Nick!'

'Morning!' he replied to Mona. She was leaning on the counter of the Centre's reception, some paperwork piled in front of her that suggested a busy day was ahead. At her other side, Gastly and Gengar were pulling ridiculous faces at each other and laughing. Nick laughed too.

'Is Gastly doing alright?'

'Fine, just fine.' she smiled back. 'It's a playful thing. I really don't think its hostile capture will have any repercussions on it. I think it will be happy living here… and I can always take it into the forest to visit its old friends.' She turned to the two ghosts that were now pulling faces at her. 'But… I think it's already made some new ones.'

Nick smiled. He was sure that Gastly would be okay with someone like Mona, who was passionate about even the scariest of Pokémon, even ones who were not her own.

'So, off to challenge Flannery?' she asked with a more serious look.

'Yeah… I'm a little nervous.' admitted Nick.

'Despite what I told you last night, about Nosepass' type advantage,' she began, 'Flannery's Pokémon are still powerful, and you won't win just by using rock-type attacks. Understand?'

'Yes… I understand. I already have an idea for how to conduct the battle.'

'Oh, well go ahead, Mr. Pokémon Master!' she giggled in a friendly way. 'Go left from here, follow the short road out of town and you'll find the Gym.' He smiled back as he walked out of the Centre and onto the streets of Mauheru again.

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The sinister markings of the surroundings seemed to have faded in the warm morning glow. Did the ghosts disappear when the moon did? He strolled through the sleepy town, the off-colour grass crunching under his feet as he walked towards a sign indicating that the Gym was ahead. Trees hung over him at either side of the road, but strangely they were not intimidating – especially considering what lived in them. As there was no rush to get there, he decided to release his two Pokémon.

'Let's take a stroll, guys!' he instructed.

'Elek!'

'Nosepaa!'

Elekid walked close to Nick, as though reminding him that it was his first (and perhaps favourite) Pokémon. Nosepass waddled behind them, not as fast as its electric colleague.

'Are you ready for another battle?' Nick asked them. Both creatures nodded. Nosepass did a funny little hop.

'You guys have both been doing great. I think we'll win for sure!' he added.

'El!' piped up Elekid, pointing ahead. Looking, Nick could see the Mauheru Gym. A small, purple-bricked building alone in a clearing, flaming torches hung from either side of its archway entrance. As they approached, a cold wind began to blow from nowhere and made the fire flicker. He hurried inside.

The Gym was almost unbearably hot; he instantly felt a desire to run outside and enjoy the cool air. Before he could do such a thing, his eyes were caught by those of two red-haired girls. One with a neat bob and an elegantly beautiful face was sitting behind a desk, another with tied-back spiked hair sitting on top of it in a casual fashion. She wore a tight black T-shirt and baggy blue denim pants.

'A challenger?' she smirked.

'Yeah.' said Nick firmly.

'Pleased to meet you. I'm Flannery.' smiled the Gym Leader. 'And this is…'

'Olive.' stated the other, standing up shaking Nick by the hand as he approached. Flannery opted for a high five.

'If you'd like to go wait in the arena,' she began, fixing her hair, 'I'll be through soon.'

'She likes to make an entrance…' laughed Olive in a joking manner. Nick forced a laugh of his own and pushed himself through the revolving doors leading to the arena, Nosepass almost getting jammed in between on the way.

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The bench on which he sat looked out onto a sizeable field. It was not as big as the one back at Oreburgh Gym, but its terrain was rockier, steam coming from small cracks and hillocks dotted over the room. The walls were as purple as those on the outside, and a large steel pedestal towered above everything else at the other side of the room – obviously where Flannery would stand during the battle. Nosepass sat beside him on the bench (he hoped that the Pokémon's weight would not damage it) while Elekid paced and crackled.

'Whatever happens,' said Nick, 'I just want you guys to try your best.'

'Elekid!' it chirped.

'Nuuu…' mumbled Nosepass. Nick was slightly concerned about it; while it held its own in the struggle with Team Obsidia last night, it had never been part of a potentially difficult, official battle.

'You feeling okay, Nosepass?' he asked it.

'Nose!' it piped as it turned to him. He could tell it was quietly confident. He began to speak to it again, but was interrupted by the sound of more floodlights powering into life, and doors opening in the distance. Looking up, he saw Flannery emerging from the darkness and climbing onto the podium.

'I am Flannery, the Mauheru Town Gym Leader.' rang her voice over a PA system. 'Originally the Leader of the Lavaridge Gym in Hoenn, I moved here to further hone my skills with fire-type Pokémon. Who are you?'

A spotlight suddenly beamed down on Nick. A rush of confidence suddenly surged through him.

'I am Nick from Twinleaf Town. I'm working on a Pokédex for Professor Rowan and competing in the Pokémon League Gym Challenge.'

'Well, Nick,' she sneered, 'Defeating three of my Pokémon will earn you the Heat Badge.'

'I understand!' called back Nick. He turned and noticed some young people entering the arena, followed by Olive, who spoke.

'Nick, these Pokémon students would like to watch your battle. Is that okay with you?'

'Erm… yeah, I guess.' nodded Nick, looking at the bright-eyed faces looking at him in anticipation. Olive smiled and led them to a viewing platform at the side of the battlefield. He wasn't entirely comfortable having an audience, but did not want to annoy the Gym's officials.

'Alright, let's get the show on the road!' shouted Flannery, throwing a Pokéball into the arena. 'Slugma! I choose you!'

A slug-like Pokémon whose body seemed to be made of magma appeared, its wide yellow eyes staring in an unsettling manner.

'Go, Elekid!'

Nick's electric-type dashed onto the field. No sooner had it began to face off against Slugma than the smoking craters erupted with fire. Nick jumped back in surprise.

'Heating things up!' laughed Flannery. Nick was worried; apart from fighting her Pokémon, he now had to make sure his did not come into contact with any of the raging flames.

'Elekid! Thundershock!'

Elekid clenched its fists and shot its foe with electricity. The slug was struck and writhed in pain. Nick smiled; perhaps this battle was going to be easier than anticipated.

'Harden.' snickered Flannery. Slugma's body suddenly turned to rock – as magma did – and the electricity bounced away, having no effect. Nick gritted his teeth.

'Now, Slugma! Use Ember!'

Its body returned to its normal state as it spat out several small balls of fire.

'Dodge, Elekid!'

The electric creature dived from side to side avoiding the fireballs until one hit it. It cried in pain for a moment, but managed to swat the fire away.

'Thundershock again!'

No sooner had the bolt hit Slugma than it turned to stone once more. Nick smiled as a great tactic suddenly sprung into his head.

'Low Kick!'

His partner leapt forward and delivered a powerful blow to the hardened monster, whose rock body cracked as it flew backwards, its body becoming magma again.

'Oh!' moaned Flannery in surprise. The fighting-type move had damaged its body as it would a rock-type Pokémon. Nick wasted no time in following up this manoeuvre:

'Thunderpunch!'

As Slugma righted itself, Elekid dealt it another hit, and in a blast of electricity it was knocked unconscious.

'Slugma is unable to battle!' declared Olive, who had apparently taken on the role of referee.

'Well done, Elekid!' cheered Nick, as Flannery recalled her Pokémon.

'I'm just warming up!' she laughed, throwing another Pokéball. In a burst of flames, a small red canine-looking animal appeared, its collar and tail resembling light yellow fire. Nick lifted his Pokédex.

'Flareon, the Flame Pokémon. It is one of the seven discovered Pokémon that Eevee can evolve into. By storing thermal energy in its fur, it can attack with fire that is over 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit in temperature.'

'Hot…' muttered Nick. 'Elekid, watch out for its fire!'

Before Nick finished his sentence, Elekid was already dodging more fireballs, much bigger than the ones demonstrated by Slugma.

'Flareon, Quick Attack while it's busy.' commanded Flannery in a stern manner.

Her second creature darted forwards and knocked Elekid backwards. It landed on a crack in the ground, which then shot out flames again.

'Elekid, no!' cried Nick. He had to refrain himself from running onto the field to help, but he would probably have been disqualified for such an act. Thankfully, Elekid leapt up to battle again, though clearly in great pain from its burns.

'Please keep trying! Thundershock!'

Nick was, for some reason, surprised that Flareon was clearly hit by the attack. It had not even made much of an effort to evade.

'When Flareon overheats,' he heard – just within earshot – Olive tell the students, 'Its muscles become very tired and sore, making it more difficult for it to move until it cools itself by fluffing out its collar and tail.'

He looked back at Flareon, which was breathing heavily, and struggling to stand.

'Unfortunately,' continued Olive, 'By doing this, it makes itself a better conductor of electricity, which is problematic for our Gym Leader in this case.'

'Thundershock again, Elekid!' grinned Nick. He felt slightly guilty for doing such damage to a creature, but as the nurse had informed him, Pokémon were sturdy things. Flareon fainted from the attack and was withdrawn. Elekid, however, also collapsed from fatigue and injuries, and Nick withdrew his combatant too.

'Thanks, pal. You did great.' he smiled as the Pokéball closed on his friend.

'Well, Nick,' called Flannery, her voice with a sense of impending doom, 'Looks like we only have one Pokémon each remaining. The question is: whose is more powerful?'

Nick tried to remain strong, but felt a flicker of fear run across his face.

'I'm afraid this is where the battle comes to an end for you!' she cackled as her last Pokéball landed on the ground. In a blaze, a creature much taller and more rotund than either of Nick's partners appeared on the field. Its humanoid, but somehow animal body was brightly-coloured with yellow and red fur, its arms hollow on the inside like cannons. Nick gulped as he lifted the Pokédex again.

'Magmortar,' came the electronic voice, 'The Blast Pokémon and evolved form of Magmar. The fire with which it attacks is several hundred degrees more intense than that of Flareon. It lives deep in volcanic craters.'

'Oh, man…' moaned Nick. Could the inexperienced Nosepass beat this thing? He sent it onto the field and watched its little stone frame waddle towards the overbearing Magmortar.

'Fire Blast!' erupted Flannery like the volcano from whence her Pokémon came.

Magmortar raised its arm and shot an immense wall of fire which completely consumed Nosepass.

_Nosepass… no… it's over…_

However, when the flames cleared, Nosepass was still standing. Its rock body was not totally affected by the attack, but it still could not take more of the same.

'Alright, Nosepass! Stone Edge!'

It raised its arms and boulders flew towards Magmortar. The fiery foe raised a mighty arm to defend itself, but still took some damage. Nosepass grumbled to itself.

'Hang in there!' shouted Nick supportively. Suddenly, however, Nosepass began to wave its arms frantically, and sand and dust from the floor mixed with that now coming from the Pokémon's body. Before long, a blanket of rough sand was swirling around the arena.

'It looks like the challenger's Nosepass has just learned how to use Sandstorm.' said Olive. Nick grinned while shielding his eyes from his companion's new-found power.

'That won't stop us!' came Flannery's voice from behind the storm. 'Magmortar, Flamethrower!'

Her Pokémon looked to take aim, but Nosepass was difficult to pinpoint in such conditions. It fired blindly ahead, but the attack merely skimmed Nosepass' oversized appendage as it hopped to one side.

'Grrr, enough of this!' snarled Flannery, 'Magmortar, get rid of it with Brick Break!'

Magmortar moved its arm in a chopping motion, and a strange force cut a path through the sandstorm. It could now see Nosepass clearly, and short another fireball at it. Nosepass managed to dodge again, but was knocked away by the blast of one of the miniature volcanoes.

'You're not going to win by hiding!' laughed Flannery.

_She's right…_ thought Nick, and he commanded Nosepass to use Rock Throw. Magmortar, however, unleashed a blast of fire and knocked the rock away.

'Wait, the cannons!' mused Nick under his breath. Without its colossal arms, Magmortar could barely attack; it was much too slow to rely on physical moves.

If we can distract Magmortar long enough…

'Nosepass! Keep using Stone Edge!'

The rock-type fired several boulders at Magmortar, which shot away the ones that did not hit its tubby frame. Eventually it began to pant, unable to concentrate on attacking for defending.

'Try a Tackle, Nosepass!' instructed Nick.

'Nuuuuu!' it cried as it jumped forwards and slammed into its foe with more force than any of the rocks it had thrown. The larger creature fell back as Nosepass scurried out of punching distance.

'Magmortar, get up!' spat Flannery.

It pulled itself to its feet to fight on, but looked worn out, its breathing getting heavier.

'Use Fire Blast again!' commanded Flannery, practically screaming. Nick knew what to do:

'Nosepass, Sandstorm and dodge!'

As the immense fire flew through the room, Nosepass ran away from it while whipping up another wall of sand.

'Follow it with a Stone Edge!'

From the dusty mist came several sharp rocks, knocking Magmortar to its knees.

_Just a little more…_ he thought.

'FIRE BLAST!' screamed Flannery, her temper rising, her face as red as her hair.

Magmortar raised its arm.

'Nosepass! Rock Throw, now!' urged Nick.

Nosepass growled as it hurled a large boulder into Magmortar's smouldering arm. There was a moment of tense uncertainty as the fire-type geared up its attack, flames starting to creep around the outside of the jammed rock. Suddenly, it shot the attack, but the dislodgement of the object and its weak legs sent it flying back from the force of its own move and it collapsed, defeated.

'Magmortar is defeated. Nosepass wins the battle, and the victory goes to the challenger, Nick!' called Olive.

'We did it! We did it!' sang Nick, running forward to hug Nosepass as it toddled towards him. 'Thank you!'

'Nuuu, Nosepaa!' it sighed.

'You deserve a long rest.' he smiled, putting the Pokémon back inside its ball.

The students at the side of the room cheered for him, and had his face not already been red from the intense heat, it would have been from embarrassment. He looked back to see Flannery walking towards him.

'Well done.' she said coldly. 'Here's your badge – good luck.'

She thrust the badge into his hand, and with a sniff, turned on her heel and walked back across the battlefield.

'Don't mind her,' said Olive, who was leading the students back into the foyer, 'She's a bit of a hot-head when it comes to losing.'

'Heh…' laughed Nick. It did not seem like a very professional way for a Gym Leader to behave but, at the moment, he did not care; he had won the Heat Badge.

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'Wow, a Magmortar?'

'That's right!' Nick replied to Jay as he told the story of his battle in the Pokémon Centre late that afternoon. His friend seemed genuinely enthralled by the story, and was no longer trying to act cool.

'I gotta hand it to ya, Nick,' he smiled, putting his feet up on the couch, 'You really are becoming a good trainer.'

'Thanks.' nodded Nick, shining the Pokéballs in which his two Pokémon rested after being treated by Mona. 'Where are you going now?'

'Well, I'm going to stay here to train and try to beat Flannery.' sighed Jay. 'But for you, I think the Eterna Gym should be the next stop.'

Nick looked down at the map on his Pokétch; Eterna City was on the other side of the forest in which they had had the ghostly encounter.

'If you left now, you could probably get there before nightfall – before the ghosts come out.' teased Jay. 'I can't believe you're getting ahead of me!'

'I'll send you a postcard from Eterna!' laughed Nick.

'Leaving for Eterna City, are you?' came a voice from across the room. The boys turned to see Olive walking towards them, wearing a much more worn, casual dress than what she had had on earlier.

'Oh, hey… yeah, I'm going there next.' replied Nick.

'Would you accompany me through Eterna Forest?' she asked politely, tilting her head slightly, her long eyelashes blinking slowly. 'I have to get back there for some important business, and I'm much too frightened to go alone. I need a strong, brave trainer to look after me.'

'Uh… y-yeah… s-sure, no problem.' stuttered Nick, flustered. She smiled back and he blushed.

'Well, well, well! I didn't know you had a thing for older women!' laughed Jay. Nick shot him a murderous glare, but he continued to smirk. Olive did not seem to notice.

'Shall we leave now?' she asked, her soft voice caressing Nick's ears.

'Y-Yeah…' he said, getting to his feet and picking up his bag, 'Bye, Jay…'

Jay raised a hand in goodbye. Mona, noticing he was leaving from the other side of the room, did the same. Nick reciprocated nervously, and walked out with the woman who was giving him a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach.


	9. Trials and Tribulations in the Trees

Sweat stuck his clothes to his skin as he cut through the humid air of the jungle, the others running closely behind him.

'Come on! It can't have gone much further!'

His black-clad accomplices caught up with him, their breathing heavy, and their eyes stinging with salty tears. Shadows moved behind the thick leaves and bushes at either side of them, but regardless of how rare the native beasts may have been, they had no time to stop; they sought only one Pokémon. This island was vast, and the forests incredibly dense, but he had seen it in these trees. He was _sure_ he had seen it.

'This is useless!' cried one of the women.

'Shut up! Keep running!' he snapped back, spit and adrenaline flying from his mouth.

Eventually the path got too narrow to continue. The plants covered the land and sky further than the eye could see, but traversing such an area was impossible. But then they saw it.

'Is it…?' gasped the female, her face falling into a gape.

'Yes.'

Under the canopy high above them, on the branch of a towering green tree, it sat clutching a berry. The small feline creature's pink-white fur seemed to emanate a glow, as though embodying its own elusiveness. Its eyes met those of the people below, and it instantly faded from view, as though becoming one with its surroundings. The berry fell towards the ground, and the man dived into the growth, closing his hands around it. Landing in the sweltering undergrowth, the dignity-free manoeuvre was justified by the bite marks on the item in his hand; they had acquired a trace of its existence.

'It's ours.' he said as he stood up. He clambered out of the plant-life and began walking back with the other members of Team Obsidia.

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In another forest in another part of the world, Nick and Olive walked through the cool air towards Eterna City. The sky was a pale shade of blue, but it would soon darken and make the path difficult to follow. She walked very gracefully, as though used to such a journey, and seemed to enjoy the lush scenery. Her long, slightly shabby dress was the same colour as the surroundings; she could easily have blended in if a hostile wild Pokémon attacked. Nick tried to adopt a more sophisticated demeanour as his travelling companion, but could not escape the refrains of his rugged yet determined adventurer's march.

'So, Nick,' started Olive, her soft voice breaking the silence, 'You're new to being a trainer, yes?'

'That's right.' he replied, attempting a heartier voice.

'How are you finding it?'

'Well… great, to be honest. It feels like a whole new experience… a new chapter in my life. Things weren't great at home in Twinleaf…' he admitted.

'I won't pry any further.' she smiled, her understanding hazel eyes blinking slowly.

'Are you a trainer?' he asked politely.

'Well, I've been involved with Pokémon.' she replied quietly, but then changed the conversation quickly. 'Are you prepared for the Eterna Gym Leader?'

'Erm…' sounded Nick, thinking. 'No… I suppose I'm not. I don't even know who they are, or what kind of Pokémon they use.'

'She's a young lady called Gardenia.' stated Olive. 'She commands the grass-type Pokémon. This means that neither of your Pokémon have an advantage… actually, your Nosepass will be at a disadvantage, as grass attacks are super-effective against rock-types.'

'Maybe I should catch a new kind of Pokémon?' asked Nick. He felt strangely confident saying this; he was still sure his first capture had been a fluke.

'There are many bug-type creatures in this forest. Bug-types are good against grass monsters.' she offered.

'I'll keep my eyes open for one.' he laughed.

'Gardenia is much more tactical than Flannery.' said Olive sternly. 'While her Pokémon may not be any more powerful, they have powers that can do more than simply harm an opponent.'

'Like… Like what?' asked Nick nervously.

'Poisoning… paralysis… sleep… her Pokémon can inflict all of these on a challenger's creature. Flannery loses her temper and goes for all-out attacks, but Gardenia relaxes and watches the opponent suffer under these horrible afflictions.'

'She sounds… nasty.' muttered Nick. Olive laughed.

'She's a sweet girl, really. I've worked closely with her for years.'

'What do you do, anyway?' asked Nick. 'If you work with both Gardenia and Flannery?'

'Oh, I'm just involved in the Pokémon League. I help manage some gyms and relations between Leaders and League Officials.' she replied nonchalantly, as though such a position seemed like nothing to her.

'You must know some pretty powerful trainers!' he exclaimed, slightly excited.

'I've met a few in my time.' she smiled. 'Steven, the Champion from Hoenn, is incredibly strong. His Pokémon are extremely rare too. He's been undisputed for many years now… he is… amazing.'

Her tone had an air of longing about it, as though her admiration ran deeper. Nick felt a strange sense of jealousy somewhere inside.

'Oh, look!' she suddenly chirped, pointing to a tree at the side of the road. Hanging from it by a silky thread was a strange being. It was long and slender, with no visible limbs and a yellow skin that looked impregnable. From inside this shell glared two pitch-black, glaring eyes that shone through the darkening forest.

'What is it?' asked Nick, slightly unsettled by the beast.

'It's a Kakuna… a bug- _and_ poison-type.' she explained. 'If you can catch it, you have a Pokémon whose types are _both_ effective against grass-types!'

Nick nodded, and in a hurry, released Elekid.

'El!' it sparked.

'Elekid, use Thundershock!'

His partner leaped into the air and shot a bolt of electrical energy at Kakuna. Its sinister eyes closed in pain, but it did not move.

'Why doesn't it defend?' he called to Olive, over the crackle of Elekid's attack.

'It's a cocoon Pokémon. It is largely immobile until it evolves.'

The electricity faded and Kakuna opened its eyes again. Slowly, a buzzing sound filled the area, increasing in volume, as though there were many sources.

'Beedrill…' whimpered Olive in response to his question.

'Huh?'

'Nick, I am now going to impart some wisdom that will hopefully take you far on your Pokémon adventure.' she said quietly.

'What?' asked Nick, still looking around for the source of the noise.

'Run!' she yelled.

As if this was a code word, several large bee creatures with large pointed stingers on their arms emerged from the thick of the tree that Kakuna hung from. Nick (with Elekid hanging onto his back) and Olive began to run as fast as they could as the Beedrill gave chase, their intimidating buzz louder than ever.

'Why did you tell me to attack it?' yelled Nick as they ran.

'I didn't know there were Beedrill!' she shouted back. 'Can't your Pokémon take care of them?'

'There's no way Elekid's electricity can take out so many of them, and Nosepass definitely couldn't!'

They continued to run for hundreds of yards until their energy had almost run out. Suddenly, Olive screamed as she fell to the ground, having tripped on the uneven, overgrown floor of the forest.

'Olive!' he cried, running back. He leant down beside her. 'Are you okay?'

'I'm… fine!' she gasped, 'But look out, here they come! Run, Nick!'

'No, I can't just leave you here!' he shouted as he rose to his feet. 'Elekid, go shock 'em!'

Elekid stepped forward and its antennae began to crackle, but before it could attack, another figure suddenly dashed from the trees and stood in front of it. Its small body was enmeshed in a long mane of white fur, from beneath which sneered sharp fangs and yellow eyes. Its leaf-covered hands began to glow and moments later it fired a pulsating beam of solar energy, blasting the Beedrill into the sky before they fell into the treetops and out of sight. The creature then turned to the two travellers; it had saved them, but its face was intimidating and terrifyingly unsightly. Cautiously, Nick lifted his Pokédex to it.

'Shiftry,' it stated, 'The Wicked Pokémon. It lives in isolation deep in forests and warns off those who come near its nest with gusts of wind from the leaf fans on its claws.'

Nick looked at the picture on the Pokédex silently, studying the facts about their scary saviour. By the time he looked back up, however, it had vanished.

'That was weird…' muttered Olive, still lying on the ground.

'Yeah, it was strange-looking.' nodded Nick.

'No, not that!' she exclaimed. 'I mean to say that Shiftry are known to be somewhat antisocial. It's not the type of creature to be friendly to or protective of others.'

'Well… I think we should just get out of here.' he said, helping Olive to her feet.

'T-Thank you… for rescuing me.' she smiled.

'I… I d-didn't really. It… It was Shiftry…' he stuttered, blushing.

'But you came back for me!' she beamed.

His reward was a peck on the cheek.

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After catching their breath, they found themselves following the path below a slightly darker sky. Nick's first experience with bug-types had not been too pleasant; strangely, he would have preferred ghosts to the creatures he had just encountered. Olive's voice, despite being sweet and harmless, broke the silence again.

'You're not mad at me about the Kakuna, are you, Nick?'

'No, I'm not.' he replied with a glance to her face. 'But I need to catch a bug-type that won't sting me to pieces in the process!' he added, half joking.

'I understand…' she said, looking hurt and amused in equal measures.

'Hey, what's that thing?' he gasped, pointing through the wilderness at a different yellow Pokémon on a tree. From what he could see, the insect seemed to possess three faces entwined with a large honeycomb.

'Ooh, it's a Combee!' grinned Olive, clasping her hands together. 'It's a bug- and flying-type… it also has an advantage against grass-users!'

'Should I catch it? Or will more of them attack me?' smiled Nick as the jogged towards the tree on which it sat, sucking nectar from the bark.

'Ha!' she laughed, 'No, it should be fine this time.'

'Elekid! Thundershock!'

'Unless…' she continued, 'Its evolved form Vespiquen is around.'

'What!' yelped Nick.

It was too late to reconsider; Elekid's attack shocked the little bee. Shaking off the pain, it frowned at them and began to emit a buzz while squealing. His stomach tensed as he expected more beasts to start chasing him. Fortunately, the little Pokémon remained alone. Unfortunately, it released a powerful Gust attack, blowing the group back several yards.

'I'm getting tired of lying on the ground…' moaned Olive.

'Let's try again!' commanded Nick, pushing himself up.

Elekid released another Thundershock. Combee hovered to one side to evade, then blew them back even further. Nick landed in some bushes, Elekid on top of him, while Olive – who had not stood up from the first wind yet – rolled further back along the ground. Combee's three faces all began to giggle annoyingly.

'Enough!' cried Nick. 'Elekid, now use-'

Before he could reveal his new plan, they found themselves flying through the air once more, landing in deeper growth, their moans of pain drowned out by the sound of Combee's laughing.

'I don't think this one is for me…' sighed Nick.

'No. Perhaps we should just-'

Before she could finish, something emerged from the bushes in which they lay; a tall, yellow plant-like monster, sharp fangs protruding from a gaping mouth. It emitted a bloodcurdling screech as it raised a large vine. Olive screamed.

'It's a Victreebel! Run!'

'What? Whoa!' cried Nick as she grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the heap. He quickly recalled Elekid and began to run again, as the thick vine slapped off the ground behind them as they went. Behind the rushing echoes in his ears, he could still hear the bees' amusement at his failed attempts to become a better Pokémon Trainer.

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'Bug-types are often said to be weak.' offered Olive after they had outrun Victreebel and found the path once again.

'Thanks.' gritted Nick.

'Oh, Nick, don't be angry!' she smiled. 'I'm sure you'll find a good bug companion before we leave here.'

'I've been stung, blown away and chased so far!' he groaned, 'I just want to get to Eterna City!'

'Look, calm down. There's no point getting worked-up about it. If you find a suitable Pokémon, it will make the battle with Gardenia much easier.' she snapped back.

'Elekid and Nosepass will take her down easily!' bluffed Nick, getting annoyed with Olive. She didn't make him bashful anymore.

'Well, if you think so.' she sighed, as though giving up.

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Eventually, the trees began to thin. The rest of the journey had been uneventful; no Beedrill, no Victreebel, no Combee and no Shiftry. Nick had decided he did not like bug-types. The sky was darker still, but without the darkness of the surrounding trees, Elekid's light was not required yet.

'How far is it now?' he asked, speaking for the first time since their argument.

'Through this clearing and over the river. Once we pass that, we'll be at the gates of Eterna.'

'Cool.' he mumbled, looking at his feet. 'I'm… sorry for talking to you like that.'

'That's alright, I get frustrated too sometimes.' she smiled. She seemed to always be smiling or acting in a relaxed manner. Nick doubted she could ever get frustrated.

'So, do you know anything else about Gardenia?' asked Nick, making conversation. 'How many Pokémon will I be battling?'

'She normally uses two Pokémon,' replied Olive, swatting tiny flies away from her face, 'But they're both strong; I've seen her battles last a _very_ long time, especially due to the effects she can induce.'

'I can't wait to challenge her!' exclaimed Nick. Olive giggled.

He had surprised himself with these words; it was strange how involved and passionate he had grown to be about Pokémon within a few days. Was this his true calling in life? These thoughts zoned him out until he was snapped back to reality by the splashing of his feet on the marshy ground. That's when he realised that the ground had become very wet. Looking up, he saw a ravine leading down to a gushing river, the dark water tumbling under a worn, wooden bridge and further into the heart of the forest.

'Eterna River runs down from the mountains, past the city and through the forest.'

'I see…' replied Nick, feigning interest. His mind was focused on getting to the next gym. That was until a jet of freezing cold water suddenly sprayed into his face.

'Oh, and the local Pokémon are pranksters.' she added, laughing at Nick's panic as he rubbed himself dry with his hands. 'I think it's because they feel intimidated by all the humans coming near their river to cross… or maybe it's just for fun.'

Nick looked down to where the water had come from. Protruding from the middle of the river was a horned blue shell sitting atop two large, round eyes with beady, piercing pupils. He rummaged in his pocket for the Pokédex, then observed the creature.

'Shellder, a water-type Pokémon. It swims by opening and closing its shells and attacks by clamping them on the opponent or spraying water.'

The forest inhabitants had been making this part of his trip a misery, and he was tired of it. Rage building inside, he approached the side of the ravine and shouted down at the shell thing.

'So, you have a problem with us being here, Shellder? You think it's funny just to attack travellers? Well, I've had enough of this! Come up here and battle!'

'Nick! What are you doing?' shrieked Olive.

'I'm going to capture this Pokémon! I'm not going to let them push me around!'

At these words, the Shellder leaped from the river and landed on the other side of the bridge, facing off against Elekid, who Nick released to fight. Its long tongue hung out of its mouth, giving it a slightly foolish appearance.

'Elekid, Thundershock!' he commanded.

Elekid aimed the bolt at Shellder, but the creature leapt aside and released a jet of bubbles which flew towards Elekid.

'Dodge it!'

Elekid swayed through the bubbles and was not hit. Shellder, however, was planning its next move. The two prongs on top of its shell began to glisten, before several icicles formed from the white glow. They shot at Elekid at a rapid speed, and it was jabbed and burned by the icy attack.

'Nick!' cried Olive.

'No, don't put me off! I'm catching this creature!' he spat back.

'I agree – I think you should!'

'Huh?'

He turned round to see her stroking her chin, smirking.

'That Shellder knows Icicle Spear.' she stated.

'So?'

He was trying to keep an eye on the battle at the same time.

'Ice-type moves are effective against grass-types!' she urged him. He grinned and turned back round.

'Elekid, Low Kick!'

Elekid sprang forward and aimed a kick at Shellder. The latter, however, clamped its hard shells onto Elekid's foot. There was a moment of silence before it dawned on Elekid what had happened, and the yellow creature began to hop around yelping in pain.

'Elekid, swing it off!' shouted Nick. Had he not been feeling so angry, and had he not cared for his Pokémon so much, he would have laughed at the scene.

Elekid swung another kick and Shellder went flying high into the air, crying its name in a high-pitched whine.

'Now, Thundershock again!'

The bolt of thunder flew out from Elekid's antennae and struck Shellder's tongue. The little water-type came crashing back to earth, landing on the middle of the bridge, its eyes askew and its tongue rolled out, motionless.

'Now's your chance!' cheered Olive. Nick nodded.

'Pokéball! Go!'

The ball zoomed through the evening air and slammed into Shellder. In a flash, it was dragged inside, and after a minimal amount of struggling, it stopped moving.

'El, Elek, El!' sang Elekid in celebration. Nick started to laugh and ran forward, picking up his new team-mate.

'Welcome to our group, Shellder!' he said into it.

'That was a fantastic capture!' commented Olive, placing a hand on his shoulder. 'I'm sure Shellder will help you in the next big battle!'

Nick gazed fondly at the ball as they crossed the bridge and walked towards the distant golden entrance gates of Eterna City, as the sky finally became too dark to illuminate the surroundings.


	10. Pearl's Whale of a Time!

Pearl leaned back on the rough bark of the tree and pulled her feet up and out of the way of the water. The lake was peaceful, reflections of the sky's lazy clouds drifting along its silver-blue surface, a cold but not unpleasant breeze making the long grass of the area dance and cooling the sweat on her brow. It had been a busy day observing wild creatures for the Pokédex, but she was sure the professor would be very pleased with her progress. Smiling to herself, she cast her handmade fishing rod out just past the shallows. She didn't expect to catch anything with such a tool – she never had – but it was a relaxing hobby after her work had been completed. As she moved her black hair out of her face, she felt a slight tug on the wire. Taking a moment to comprehend what was happening, she gripped it with both hands as the tugging increased in frequency. Had she hooked a Goldeen? A Tentacool? An old shoe?

'Grrrraaahhh!' she growled as the struggle to reel in the catch became more and more and difficult.

Suddenly, she felt her feet leave the ground and the wind darting past her as she was tossed high into the air and pulled towards the water. Her mind raced as she braced herself to land in the cold waters, but the surface on which her body impacted was dry, warm and rubbery. She slowly opened her eyes to find herself sitting on a large buoy, bobbing slowly in a circle of ripples.

'What the…?' she gasped. Looking over the side of the object on which she sat, her eyes were met by two black beady ones. 'You're a… Wailmer?'

'Waaa-hooooo!' it bellowed in a guttural, goofy voice.

'Put me back on the riverbank!' she snapped.

The huge Pokémon giggled and began to rush around the lake, Pearl holding onto its skin for dear life, screaming as it dragged her in several directions before stopping abruptly and catapulting her back to the sandy ground that it had dragged her from. Shaking her head and groaning, she pointed her Pokédex at the laughing whale:

'Wailmer, the Ball Whale Pokémon. Despite its intimidating size, it is a very playful Pokémon that enjoys bouncing after drinking gallons of seawater. It attacks by spraying water from the nostrils on its head and its mouth.'

'I don't care how playful you are, you scared me!' Pearl shouted, frowning at the Pokémon. 'And look, you've made my clothes dirty too!'

Wailmer's large toothy grin dropped and it moaned forlornly. Pearl's eyes saddened as she realised that it was probably just trying to make friends, as its species were not native to West Sinnoh.

'What are you doing here? Wailmer don't live in this area.' she asked in a softer tone.

'Waaaaaaaai…' it bubbled, tears forming in its eyes.

'So you're all by yourself?' she sighed. She was not used to feeling such compassion; her relationship with Pokémon had always been one of steel determination and professionalism. Somehow, this clumsy ball had made her lower her emotional guard.

'I'm… sorry that I yelled at you.' she mumbled.

The Pokémon cheered and a spout of water erupted from the top of its head, its large fins flapping and causing mighty splashes. Pearl began to laugh, but then noticed a strange symbol on its left fin; a circle within a circle, the inner one containing two crossed lines.

'What's that?' she asked.

The creature stopped flailing and held still. The emblem seemed to be tattooed into its thick skin.

'Who did that to you?' cried Pearl, angry that someone would do this to a creature.

Wailmer's face turned sad again momentarily, before it spouted more water. It suddenly rolled itself onto the bank, grabbed the girl in its fin, and raised her up onto its bulbous head again.

'Wait, what are you do-'

The end of her sentence turned to a scream as her new friend bounced into the water and tore down the river, laughing loudly and disrupting the peace.

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'So, I finally get to hear from you.' rumbled Professor Rowan's voice down the telephone line.

'Yeah… sorry I haven't been in touch.' laughed Nick nervously.

'How is the Pokédex coming along?' asked Rowan. Nick was glad that he did not seem too angry about the long interval since their last contact.

'Great, I think…' started the boy, 'I've caught a Nosepass and a Shellder and seen quite a few Pokémon. I even saw a lot of ghost-types in Mauheru Town.'

'I'm glad to hear it. Pearl is doing very well too.'

A funny feeling ran through Nick's stomach.

'Professor… how many others are working on a Pokédex for you?'

'Just the two of you at the moment.' replied the professor instantly. 'But there are others who have helped me in the past who are still trainers and scholars. In fact, the famed Professor Drasil helped me in his later years until…'

The phone line went silent.

'Until he disappeared?' asked Nick.

'Yes. How did you know about that?'

'A scientist in Oreburgh told me.' he replied.

'Professor Drasil helped me create the Sinnoh Region Pokémon Index – the Pokédex – over twenty years ago.' began the old man. Nick listened intently. 'While I was never one for fieldwork, Drasil enjoyed long expeditions to find rare creatures and observe distant habitats.'

'So how did he… not come back?' asked Nick, trying not to sound insensitive.

'That I do not know.' sighed Rowan. 'The last time I ever heard from him, which was around ten years ago, he only mentioned going deep into the wilderness of Sinnoh. He was very secretive with his work; he only talked about it his discoveries when he had completed his research. I think he thought he might look like a failure if he made promises and then didn't deliver.'

'I see…' breathed Nick.

There was a moment of silence.

'Pearl tells me you're challenging gyms.' said the professor. There was the sound of a smile from the other side of the line. 'Battling leaders' rare, powerful Pokémon will help our database.'

'Cool!' exclaimed Nick excitedly. 'I have two badges, and I'm about to challenge the Eterna City leader. That's where I am now.'

'Gardenia, a grass-user.' stated Rowan.

'My Shellder knows an ice-type move.' beamed Nick, looking fondly at the ball containing his newest ally.

'That may be,' began the professor, 'But Shellder is a water-type which means it's weak to grass attacks. Just be aware of that.'

Nick's smile faded. He had not thought of that; would Shellder be defeated before it could even use Icicle Spear?

'Anyway, Nick, I have work to attend to.' said Rowan, and with a click, his voice ceased.

Nick put down the receiver and paced back to the square, cushioned seats of the Eterna Pokémon Centre. He looked at Shellder's Pokéball again, and with the push of a button, it appeared on the floor in front of him. It looked up with its large, gazing eyes.

'Hi, Shellder.' smiled Nick. He had not introduced himself to the new team member yet. 'I'm Nick, your trainer. How are you?'

'Shell!' it squeaked, and a small jet of water hit Nick's face. It giggled as Nick dried his face with his shirt, its long tongue wriggling with glee.

'I guess that means you're happy.' grinned Nick. He had the feeling Shellder was going to be a handful. 'We're going to be challenging a gym today. Is that okay with you?'

'Shellder…' it chimed. It seemed happy enough with the idea.

'Here, let me lift you up.' he smiled.

The creature snapped its shell at Nick's outstretched hand as he went to pick it up. For a moment he worried that it did not like him, but then it giggled again and bounced up on his lap. Its long tongue pointed up and licked its trainer's cheek.

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Eterna City was clean and beautiful. Its gleaming windows and marble structures were surrounded with lush plant life, the encompassing valleys crowded with green trees and overlooked by a sky dotted with ambivalent clouds. His stay in the Pokémon Centre had been comfortable; he had eaten and slept soundly. Olive had thanked him for his company during the trek through the forest and wished him luck in the gym battle. He found the building with relative ease. It was much larger than the Mauheru Gym, blending in with the offices and apartment buildings of the area. With a deep breath, he pushed his way through the clear glass doors and was instantly greeted by a man at a desk.

'Hello!'

'Oh, hi.' smiled Nick.

'Nick from Twinleaf Town?' grinned the man. His red hair hung to his shoulders and his face was half-hidden behind a large beard, askew, circular spectacles balancing on his pointed nose.

'Uh, yeah… how did you…?' gasped Nick.

'Gardenia is expecting you. Come over here.'

Nick slowly walked over to the desk and signed a form to verify his identity and the Pokémon that he had with him.

'Confident?' grinned the red-haired man, revealing a gold tooth.

'Yeah, I think so.' replied Nick, placing the green pen down on the desk.

'Take a seat for now. She won't be long.'

Nick carefully sat down on some leather armchairs in the middle of the room and quietly observed the place. The carpets were a dark green colour, the purple walls surrounding several potted plants and small trees cluttered around the vicinity. He did not care for the decorations, but one thing in particular was playing on his mind: how did Gardenia know he was coming? Perhaps Olive had tipped her off – she did know the Leader after all. He feigned interest in news reports on a small television that the red-haired receptionist was watching. It documented discoveries of more possible evolutions of the Eevee species, the closure of a nearby cycling path and the re-opening of some faraway lighthouse. Only one story caught his full attention, however; it regarded sightings of criminal suspects re-entering the Sinnoh Region by sea who had evaded capture or interrogation. Before he could fully comprehend what he was hearing or seeing, some automatic doors ahead of him slid open and an electronic voice spoke:

'Challenger. Please enter the arena.'

The man turned and looked at Nick, and gestured him onwards.

'Good luck, kid.'

Nick stood up, and with another deep breath, left the horribly-decorated room.

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Apart from the light coming through the doors he had passed through, the room was in complete darkness. He hoped that the floor was not composed of uneven terrain like that at Flannery's gym, as he was sure he would have tripped over any invisible rocks or craters. He stood still, waiting for his opponent to reveal herself. Eventually, a familiar voice spoke from somewhere in the dark void:

'I've been waiting for you.'

A spotlight sparked into life, revealing the source of the disembodied words. Standing on a steel platform lined with flowers was a red-haired woman with a lime-green cloak hanging from her shoulders.

'You…' gasped Nick.

'That's right,' replied Olive with a smirk.

'You were the leader this whole time?'

'The way you battle…' she sighed, closing her eyes, 'Your tactics, style and compassion for your Pokémon… the way you took down Flannery, and your heroism and expertise in Eterna Forest… I simply had to return to my gym and battle you myself.'

Nick's jaw was still directed towards the floor.

'And now!' she continued, throwing her arms out, 'I, Olive Gardenia, accept your challenge for the Forest Badge!'


	11. A Touch of Grass

The newly-identified gym leader grinned as a green sparkle revealed a tall creature. Its body was covered in thick blue vines, two eyes not unlike those of Shellder peering from behind the maze of plant life.

'What's _that_ thing?' gawped Nick. He was now taken aback by two things; the appearance of this Pokémon that he had never seen before, and Olive having just revealed herself to be the Eterna Gym Leader, Gardenia.

'Tangrowth.' began the Pokédex as he lifted it out of his pocket. 'It ensnares prey and foes in its hide, rendering them immobile. In sunny weather, it is capable of moving much faster than usual.'

'Be careful, Elekid. Don't get too close.' nodded Nick, sending out the electric-type.

Several more lights burst into life around the arena, their obnoxious shine causing Nick to shield his eyes. Hanging from the ceiling were two large, glowing panels that seemed to give off heat too.

'These special solar-powered light panels help my grass-types battle at their optimum levels.' stated Olive, her hands on her hips. 'Let's see how you handle them! Tangrowth, Vine Whip!'

Tangrowth stretched out its powerful arm and slammed it down onto Elekid with ground-shaking force. The little creature clenched its teeth and growled in pain as the opponent raised its fists again.

'Elekid, use Thundershock!' yelled Nick. He had learned to try to remain calm when situations like this arose.

As Tangrowth's arms connected with Elekid again, a surge of power ran from the electric monster, along the plant creature's limb, shocking its body. It trembled slightly, but did not seem to be too affected by the attack; the mass of plants hanging from its frame seemed to defend its insides. Olive sighed.

'Oh, Nick. Grass Pokémon aren't hurt by electric attacks.'

'Try this then!' shot back Nick. Elekid sprang to its feet and leaped through the air, swinging a kick at Tangrowth.

'Bind!' cried his opponent.

Elekid's leg made contact with the vine creature's large frame, but ended up ensnared in its tangle. The vines grew tighter, squeezing the energy out of the little yellow creature.

'Elekid! Get out of there!' exclaimed Nick, beginning to panic at last. 'Try a Thundershock!'

Tangrowth was hit with another small bolt of lightning, but was still undamaged as it continued to crush his Pokémon.

'That's enough, Tangrowth.' announced Olive sternly. At first, Nick thought she was sensing compassion for his partner, but then she spoke again. 'Remember the status afflictions I mentioned yesterday, Nick? Let me show you one of them.'

Tangrowth dropped Elekid and it rolled along the grassy ground. Raising its arms once more, the grass-type released a cloud of purple spores that descended on the smaller Pokémon. Nick consulted the Pokédex.

'Poisonpowder. A poison-type attack that can be learned by many grass-types. It poisons the foe causing them to lose health until they fall in battle.'

'Poison? No!' he cried.

Elekid's eyes widened as it inhaled the venomous dust before starting to cough loudly.

'Tangrowth, Bullet Seed!' sang Olive, pointing forwards. Her Pokémon shot a series of large, hard seeds from its concealed mouth and knocked Elekid further back.

'Elekid, are you okay?' called Nick. He was considering recalling the Pokémon until it slowly got to its feet, its antennae crackling in an intimidating manner.

'Giving up yet?' smirked the Gym Leader from across the room. Nick gritted his teeth as he thought of a tactic. Then it came to him:

_Its vines are protecting it from electricity… if we can hit the inside of its body, we could do more damage_.

'Elekid! Quick Attack!'

Olive seemed to have understood his plan. Her eyes narrowed.

'Tangrowth, don't let it come near you! Vine Whip!'

Her Pokémon began hammering at Elekid, but the little creature was simply too fast, even while suffering from the effects of poison.

'Thunderpunch!' commanded Nick.

The little creature leapt up, having made it past the flailing arms of its opponent, and landed a powerful punch between its large eyes. The plant creature stumbled backwards, injured but still able to battle.

'You got lucky, but this is where it ends!' snarled Olive. 'Tangrowth, finish it!'

The panting Elekid was hit by a mighty swing from the enemy's arm and landed at it its trainers feet. It shivered and groaned, the fur of its hurt body still covered in sticky Poisonpowder.

'Thanks, pal. You did your best.' he smiled, returning Elekid to its ball. He lifted another one from his pocket.

'I'm counting on you now… so good luck, Shellder!'

He threw the ball and his newest companion appeared on the battlefield. Olive began to laugh.

'Just as I expected. Our grass-type attacks will finish your water-type before it can even use an ice move!'

Nick frowned in worry; was he hoping for too much from Shellder?

'Tangrowth, Stun Spore!' chimed the Leader.

The Pokémon released a gust of golden powder into the air, which fell towards his inexperienced partner.

'Dodge it, Shellder!'

But Shellder did not move, and continued to gaze forwards, its expression blank. The dangerous spores came closer.

'Listen to me!' he spat. This Pokémon seemed to be void of the innate obedience that Mona had informed him of. Suddenly, however, its shell snapped shut, its oversized tongue being pulled inside. The Stun Spore landed on top of its shell, but with several small jumps, it dissipated. Nick smiled at his friend's unexpected defensive tactic, and inquired with the Pokédex:

'Withdraw. By closing its hard shell over its face, Shellder protects itself from most attacks.'

'Great work!'

'Hiding in a shell won't save you from Tangrowth!' cackled Olive.

Her Pokémon lifted its arms again, and began to pound Shellder's outer surface repeatedly. Nick knew this was the moment they had been waiting for:

'Icicle Spear, now!'

He watched as the freezing-cold spikes formed above Shellder and were launched forward. His facial expression changed from that of hopeful to that of horrified as the spears sliced through Tangrowth's arms, severing them completely.

'Oh my gosh! What have I done!' he screamed, trying not to look at the horrible sight.

Olive, however, continued to grin.

'Tangrowth's arms will grow back. But not before we defeat you!'

As she pointed forward to state her next move, Shellder suddenly opened its shell again. Its tongue began to gleam a silver-white colour before a thin but fast ray of colours shone from its mouth. The beam hit the foe's centre and pushed it backwards, its front covered in a layer of burning frost. Olive's smile faded. A confused Nick lifted his Pokédex again.

'Aurora Beam, Shellder's special attack. It is a moderately-powerful ice-type move.' it commented.

'Wow, I didn't know you could do that, Shellder!' he beamed. He had not ordered his partner to attack, suggesting it was still battling on its own terms to an extent, but he was glad that it had had the foresight to use such a manoeuvre. Olive recalled Tangrowth with a frown.

'You got lucky, Nick. But now you'll feel the true power of grass-types!' she growled, throwing another Pokéball. 'Here's a Pokémon you may have seen before!'

The ball opened and the challenger found himself looking into the piercing, yellow eyes of Shiftry. It snarled from behind its pointed nose and thick white fur.

'That… That was _your_ Pokémon?' he stuttered.

'Of course it was. A wild Shiftry would never defend a stranger in its forest. And do you think a Leader like me would fall victim to a hive of Beedrill? I just wanted to see if you could handle the situation.'

'But… I didn't… I couldn't…' he mumbled, looking at the ground.

'You didn't give up though!' she cried, noticing his dismay. 'You battled until the end, and stayed to defend me. That's what makes you an admirable trainer and person, even if you didn't win the battle.'

He looked up to her and smiled. She was being strangely supportive of someone she was trying to defeat. She reciprocated, but then adopted a harsher face.

'But admirable as you may be, I will do my best to defend my badge! Shiftry, Razor Leaf!'

The intimidating Pokémon flapped its arms, sending some rigid, jagged leaves spiralling towards Shellder.

'Withdraw!' shouted Nick.

The shell monster closed itself off once again, but the grass attack sliced into its shell with such force than it was sent flying backwards, its shell open, its face a picture of agony.

'Not good enough!' giggled Olive. Nick gritted his teeth.

'Use Aurora Beam again!'

Shellder, shaking off the pain from the last blow it received, shot another cold ray at its opponent.

'Whirlwind!' commanded the opponent, her cape billowing as she spread her arms out, as though physically showing her partner what to do. As though following this instruction, Shiftry threw its arms and moved them in a rapid windmill motion. A visible tornado appeared round it, and Nick's attack was caught in the gust, the glistening beam freezing solid and circling the grass-type. With another motion, it shattered the ice cyclone, sending shards flying in every direction across the room. Shellder was hit by one of the chunks, damaged by the warped effect of its own attack.

'Amazing, Shiftry!' beamed Olive, her cheeks glowing as red as her hair.

'Shiff!' it growled, finally breaking its silence.

'That thing is tough…' mumbled Nick. He decided to change tactics. 'Shellder, try Water Gun!'

No sooner had the words left his lips than Olive announced her counter-move.

'Faint Attack!'

Seconds before Shellder's jet of water hit, her Pokémon's entire body seemed to turn to shadow, before vanishing completely.

_Where did it go?_ he wondered.

Shellder, ceasing its attack, looked from left to right, confused. Its opponent was nowhere to be seen.

'Hmm…' smirked Olive.

Moments later, Shiftry suddenly reappeared from out of nowhere, towering over the water-type, standing only inches from it. Its glowing arm hammered down on Shellder's exposed body, knocking it into the air.

'Oh!' yelped Nick, watching his partner fall victim to such a terrifying move. 'How did it do that?'

'Shiftry is also a dark-type Pokémon, so it's capable of using haunting moves like that too!' boasted Olive. 'Now, finish it with another Razor Leaf!'

More leaves sliced into Shellder, and it crashed back into the ground at Nick's feet, unconscious. Nick looked down forlornly at it, before withdrawing it into its Pokéball.

'That's okay, Shellder. It was your first time.' he whispered.

'Looks like you only have Nosepass left, Nicky.' came Olive's giggling voice from across the room. 'And rock-types are just as weak to grass-types!' she added, a tone of competitive devilment in her voice.

'I won't give up!' shot back Nick, releasing Nosepass into the field.

'Nuuu…' it growled in determination, eyeing its snarling opponent.

The battle resumed immediately. Nosepass threw rocks at Shiftry, who knocked them all away with another cyclone. Its subsequent Faint Attack was met by a Stone Edge, making it retreat but scarcely hurting it. The grass-type released another gust of razor leaves that damaged Nosepass until it whipped up a Sandstorm, blowing the attack off course and defending itself from Shiftry. However, while the rock-type could see its foe through the sand, when it vanished into the shadows again, neither side had any means of attacking.

'We can't go on like this…' he thought aloud. But there was no way of winning or moving the battle on. He took out his Pokédex and scanned Nosepass for ideas. He listened to its electronic voice, losing hope as it listed the Pokémon's biological data and diet. Then, however, it listed an attack that he was unaware of:

'Thunder Wave,' it started, 'The electromagnetism of Nosepass' body can be converted into a weak electrical attack that can paralyse opponents and prey if successful.'

Nick looked up at the blurred figure of his Pokémon as it stood within the storm of sand, his face lit up, his brain rushing with ideas. Olive seemed to have not heard the Pokédex's statement.

'Shiftry, stop Faint Attack,' she spluttered as sand flew past her, 'And get rid of this Sandstorm with Whirlwind!'

The sand began to blow away to the sides of the room, revealing the corporeal Shiftry once more.

'Nosepass, can you use Thunder Wave?' he asked.

'Nu-paa!' it replied, turning to him. A small, visible spark of electricity shot from its nose, and Nick smiled. Looking back at his opponent, however, he found her grinning too.

'Time to end this. Shiftry, Solarbeam!'

On her words, the panels above the battlefield began to shine harshly, and the Pokémon's body started to glow. It joined its leafy hands and a ball of energy began to crackle between its palms. Nick had seen this attack in the forest, and knew that he could not afford to let Nosepass be hit by such a blast.

'Nosepass, dodge and defend!'

The rock creature leapt to the side and hardened its body as the burning-hot beam shot past it, hitting the wall beside Nick and leaving a large scorch mark.

_This is bad_, he thought. _If Nosepass gets hit by a Solarbeam, we're finished_.

Then, however, he noticed the behaviour of Shiftry; it was panting, as though the attack had taken a lot out of it. He lifted his Pokédex again.

'Solarbeam requires several minutes of charging if used in succession.'

'It needs to recharge!' he cheered, jumping into action. 'Nosepass, Sandstorm!'

'Huh?' squealed Olive as her foe disappeared into a cloud of dust, leaving her own creature tired and vulnerable.

'Give it your best shot!' bellowed Nick, 'Thunder Wave!'

Nosepass appeared from the sand and a whip of electrical energy twisted its fizzling way around Shiftry's body. The dark- and grass-type monster's eyes opened wide, and it fell to its knees, incapable of moving.

'Shiftry!' panicked Olive, before straightening herself. 'Ha, electric-type attacks aren't super-effective against grass-types!'

'No, but they can still leave afflictions!' grinned Nick. 'I thought you would have known about those, since you were so interested in demonstrating them to me!'

He felt slightly rude talking in this manner, but he thought that he had started to earn some credit and the right to speak to his superiors in the way that they had spoken to him until now. Olive grimaced.

'Razor Leaf…' she moaned.

Her Pokémon slowly pulled itself to its feet, its eyes still half-closed and its body writhing in pain from the paralysing attack. It spread its arms to throw out more leaves, but its attack was countered by several pointed rocks slamming into it; Nosepass had landed the defeating blow. The sinister creature fell face-down in the sand, groaning, and Olive, with a lump in her throat, called it back into its Pokéball.

'Nosepass… we did it!' exclaimed Nick, literally jumping for joy. The same Pokémon had won the last two gym battles for him; he was becoming fiercly proud of this being, the first one he had ever captured and started raising all by himself. He stroked its stony, bulbous head in thanks, before it re-entered its Pokéball. He smiled at the trio of creatures within the spheres in his hand: Elekid had tried its best, and helped defeat Tangrowth; Shellder, for its first battle, had managed to take down an experienced, evolved creature; Nosepass had finished the opponent in a brave, tactical manner.

'Thanks guys.' he said under his breath.

Olive approached him, a small smile on her lips. He did not know what to say, and ended up apologising.

'Don't be silly!' she giggled. 'That was the most fun I've had in a long time – I should be thanking you.'

'Your Pokémon are awesome.' he smiled, shaking her hand.

'Oh, don't be so patronising,' she laughed in reply, 'And take your badge.'

Withdrawing his hand from hers, he found it to contain a small green item, made up of three joined diamonds.

'The Forest Badge is yours.' she congratulated him.

He gazed lovingly at the badge and then gave Olive a sincere, appreciative nod.

'Thank you.'

'You're becoming a fantastic trainer, Nick,' she began, clasping her hands in front of her waist, 'You show the enthusiasm and potential that many great trainers have had. I would say you could become a leader one day.'

'Whoa, slow down!' he chuckled, embarrassed. 'I'm still a beginner!'

'And for a beginner,' she continued, 'For someone who is still learning about the monsters and is still new to the human-Pokémon world, your dedication and spirit is incredible.'

He was blushing so much that he looked back to the badge in his still-outstretched hand. Deep down, however, he knew that Olive meant every word.

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In a dimly-lit room with walls and floors of grimy steel, a black-clad man and purple-clad young woman approached a tall, imposing man in a long, black coat. His blood-coloured hair was sleeked back and hung to his shoulders, his eyes a similar shade of red, lined with scars and sitting above gaunt but not unhealthy clean-shaven cheeks. He looked up from the table he was standing at, diverting his attention from the assortment of paperwork in front of him.

'What?' he said, his voice formal but sinister.

'W-We… We got it.' stuttered the shorter man.

'I heard.' replied the red-haired man, closing his eyes as though feeling a great sense of accomplishment.

'We've given it to Professor Synn.' said the woman, angling for evaluation and praise.

'Good.' muttered the man, and her smile faded. 'The others have almost finished the prototype of the cloning machine. Soon… the rarest of all Pokémon will be ours.'

He looked back to the sheets on the desk. Scribbled over them were countless notes and numbers, as well as images of a small feline creature.

'Its abilities and elusiveness…' he continued, 'Will bring Team Obsidia the fortune and power that we have always deserved.'

He started to laugh gruffly, and the other man and girl both took a step back, wary and slightly afraid of what they were involved in.


	12. Shivers in the Old Chateau!

Nick wiped the sweat from his brow as he walked into the cool afternoon air of Eterna again. Olive followed closely behind and stood enjoying the breeze as the boy adjusted his backpack. He turned to look at her and got lost in his senses as he gazed at her beautiful profile, her rose-red cheeks practically glowing beneath her blowing bob. She turned to him and he quickly tried to avert his gaze, only to connect with her eyes.

'Where's your next stop?' she smiled.

'I… I don't know,' he admitted, 'Where is the nearest gym?'

'Well, there are a few gyms to the south in the cities of Hearthome and Pastoria, and the town of Woodsthrone opened a gym recently too.'

'Do you have directions?' he asked, smiling.

'No, and even if I did, I wouldn't give them to you.' she beamed back. He stared at her in confusion and disbelief. He opened his mouth to say something that he had not decided on yet, when she spoke again.

'Setting off on travels into the unknown, discovering your own path and learning from strangers and other wandering spirits… that's what builds character and makes a real trainer. The path to the Pokémon League doesn't – and shouldn't have – signposts.'

His smile widened and he nodded in agreement, understanding and appreciating every word she said. Another cold breeze swept past, but he was only shivering with the excitement of continuing his journey.

'Thanks.' he rattled, checking the time on his Pokétch and scribbling some words into the electronic notepad. He refrained from looking at the map application. 'I really enjoyed our battle.'

'Me too, until you flattened me!' she laughed. 'I'll register your victory on the database later today.'

'The… database?' he asked.

'You haven't registered, have you?' she sighed.

The boy shook his head, embarrassed.

'You need to submit your details to the Pokémon League if you're taking on gyms, otherwise you can't enter the tournament after collecting eight badges. They keep track of how well you are doing and whether they should expect you or not, as well as the types of Pokémon you are raising.'

'I had no idea.' he grinned sheepishly. 'Where do I sign up?'

'Hearthome City has a Gym Management Centre. You can do it there.' she nodded.

'But… I've already defeated two other leaders…' he mumbled.

'And I'm sure they were confused when they tried to submit your details only to find you weren't on the registry.' she stated, her voice becoming more and more imposing. He felt that he had let her down in some way. 'I will remind them to try again in future.'

They stood in silence until a car sped past, its engine tearing the quietness to pieces.

'I guess I should get going.' he sighed.

Her stern mouth curved into a pretty smile once more.

'It's been great.' she said softly, shaking his hand. 'I know you're going to be one heck of a trainer.'

They held hands for a few seconds longer than seemed normal. Nick blushed and Olive giggled, as though trying to evoke such a reaction from him.

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The surrounding mountains were much closer to the city than he had realised. He stood at the exit of Eterna, looking across the marshy ravines and wooden bridges that made up the next route. Only a few hundred feet separated the buildings and homes with the base of the incredible, monolithic Mount Coronet. Its incline was not entirely steep, but it towered high into the atmosphere, its unsympathetic, colourless walls sitting silently and mercilessly, its summit veiled by wispy clouds. He had heard stories about it as a child: how it split Sinnoh into two halves; how it was the closest place to the sky in the region, and countless folktales of mysterious presences that had been sensed by travellers following its treacherous paths. These stories had scared him when he was younger, but now he was looking at it through different eyes; what kind of Pokémon lived high up in the extreme conditions of the mountaintop? Did rare, powerful creatures dwell within its maze-like tunnels and caverns? Perhaps, one day, he would venture onto its harsh surface and see if the rumours and his ideas were true. For now, however, he had to follow the path around its perimeter to reach Hearthome City and ultimately his Pokémon League victory. Having missed breakfast, he had eaten a hearty meal at the Pokémon Centre before departing, and his stomach now moaned under the weight of all the food as he trod through the dry mud and cracked ground. The recovered Elekid skipped along by his ankles, while Nosepass and Shellder slept in their Pokéballs.

'We might have to spend a few nights outside, Elekid. Hearthome is a few days of walking away.' he thought aloud.

'El!' sparked his partner, with a sideways glance at him.

'Oh, yeah,' he laughed in reply, 'You're used to sleeping outside. That's what you did before you became my Pokémon.'

He was glad that he had packed his sleeping bag. This would be the first night that he had not slept at a Pokémon Centre but, in a way, he was looking forward to spending a night in the wild surrounding by nature and Pokémon. As these happy thoughts filled his head, a small moving object suddenly seized his attention. It seemed to bounce, but remained in mid-air for more time than seemed normal. Looking at it, he realised the tiny, spherical yellow thing was decorated with little living eyes and a mouth; it was a Pokémon.

'Wonder what that is…' he muttered, aiming his Pokédex at the creature.

'Chingling, the Bell Pokémon. Chingling is the pre-evolved form of Chimecho. It is a rare Pokémon that creates a bell-like sound by agitating an orb in its throat. Its high-pitched cries can hurt the foe's ears.'

'A rare Pokémon!' exclaimed Nick, ignoring the warning of Chingling's offensive capabilities.

'Chiiii!' it chimed. Its voice was sublime and relaxing.

'Are you ready, Elekid?' grinned Nick, clenching his fist.

'Elekid!' it replied, doing the same. They turned to each other and nodded, only to see their new foe scurrying away far in front of them when they looked back.

'Hey, wait!' cried Nick, eager to make this sought-after monster his own, 'Come back!'

'Chiiiing!' came its pleasant voice from the distance. It was moving much quicker now, interspersing its running with big jumps.

'After it!' commanded the trainer.

They chased it across the damp grassland, ending up on a narrow cliff edge against a vertical wall of the mountain, a river gushing by far below. Chingling hopped and bounced its way onto a higher platform, where it began to giggle and sing as its pursuers frowned at it from beneath its perch. There were no ledges to use as a stairway to continue the chase, but rather than accept defeat, Nick hatched a plan:

'I'm going to climb up the rock face.' he smirked.

'El! Elek!' yelped his Pokémon, tugging at his shirt in protest. It motioned to the frothing waters below that would carry him into oblivion should he fall.

'Don't worry, I'll be fine! I'll catch that Chingling!' he laughed, grabbing onto the wall above him and beginning to pull his way up, using small craters as footholds. He slowly pulled himself higher and higher, his desire to fill his Pokédex overriding his common sense. His hand finally grabbed the edge of the cliff on which the wild creature sat, then his stomach jolted and his voice ceased as the stones gave way and he began to plummet. He could hear nothing but the rushing river, not even Elekid's cries of panic. Fear and the acceptance of fate overcame all other senses as he fell through the air, his heart trying to escape through his throat. He closed his eyes in preparation for the water's icy embrace, but instead felt a rubbery, warm surface break his fall. He lay on his back, heart still pounding and eyes still closed, until he heard a familiar voice bark at him.

'What the heck do you think you're doing! Do you have a death wish?'

He opened his eyes to see the angry ones of Pearl staring at him from above. Regaining his senses, he sat up and observed the surroundings. He was sitting on top of a large, floating ball, Pearl standing over him.

'I… I was…'

'Trying to finish yourself off, by the looks of it!' she snapped back.

He felt a pound on top of his head as Elekid leapt from the cliff and punched him, snarling as it landed in front of him.

'It's a good thing my Wailmer and I were surfing past!'

'Wailmer…?' he asked, groggily. He suddenly realised that the buoy on which he sat was a living thing, a whale-like Pokémon.

'What were you trying to do?' she asked, no longer shouting but still stern.

'I was trying to catch a Chingling. It was up there on the mountainside.' he admitted.

'Well, you went about it in a really silly way. There's adventuring, then there's being an idiot.' she growled.

He sat in silence, thankful for her rescue but not wishing to express it when she was speaking to him like this.

'Well, let's get to somewhere safer. Wailmer, go!' she sighed.

The whale creature bellowed as it carried them along the river towards some distant woods.

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They strolled through the scenery of the southern route. It was not as dense as Eterna Forest, but the trees still towered above them. The sky was darkening quickly, lending a blue glow to the surroundings. Nick, still shaken from his accident, walked in silence, his Pokémon all inside their Pokéballs. Pearl was also strangely quiet, her usual jeers and remarks being kept to a minimum.

'Are you alright?' she asked through a mumble.

'Yeah… I'm fine.' he replied, with a deep breath.

'I know that adventuring and catching Pokémon can be overwhelming sometimes,' she continued, 'But you need to be careful. It can be dangerous out in the field.'

'I… I just…' he stuttered, trying to find the words, '… I know.'

They continued through the wooded trail.

'Where did you catch your Wailmer?' he asked, perking himself up.

'Near Lake Verity… an area where Wailmer shouldn't be found in the wild.' she replied, her tone rising with interest.

'I found Elekid at Lake Verity, and they're not native to the area either!' he exclaimed.

'Strange…' she muttered, 'These Pokémon showing up in places they haven't been observed in before.'

Nick smiled. Despite the sinister subject matter, this was the most civilised conversation he had ever had with Pearl. She did not seem as uptight or as self-important as the last time they had met, but he got the impression that she could easily fall back into such a persona if pressured or annoyed.

'It's… such a playful, funny thing.' she smiled. Nick's grin widened as he saw her smile for the first time; her new partner had changed her for the better.

'So, have you been collecting badges?' she asked, regaining her dignified posture.

'Sure have. I've got three so far, I just defeated Olive in Eterna City today.' he beamed.

'Well done.' she said monotonously. 'Where are you going now?'

'Hearthome City, to register for the League.'

'I'm going there too to watch contests,' she revealed.

'Contests?' he asked.

'Trainers enter their Pokémon and show off attacks and skills to judges. I think viewing some of the entrants' abilities could help the Pokédex.'

'Sounds cool, maybe I'll come watch one too.' he smiled, looking to her. She did not look back. Suddenly, a voice cried from round the corner of the forest walk:

'Pikachu! Come back!'

Nick and Pearl stopped in their tracks and looked ahead. A small Pikachu dashed round the corner, running on all fours, and disappeared into the thickness of the trees. Moments later, a young boy appeared from the same direction, reaching out to the mouse creature. As he got to the side of the road, he stopped, unable to keep up.

'P-Pikachu…'

The two companions approached the little boy, who turned and spoke to them, his eyes lined with bubbling tears, his thick brown hair sticking to his sweaty face.

'My Pikachu… it ran away…'

'Why?' asked Pearl, her voice not as sympathetic as Nick had expected.

'My friend and I… we were having a Pokémon battle, and my Pikachu got hurt and ran off…'

At these words, as if heralding their arrival, another young boy came running towards them, a small horned monster by his side. Thick glasses sat askew on his freckled face, his red hair as overgrown as Eterna Forest.

'Alex, I'm sorry! Larvitar didn't mean it!' he cried, almost as upset as the Pikachu's trainer.

'I just want my Pikachu, Rob!' sobbed Alex, 'But I think it went into the Old Chateau!'

'Calm down!' pleaded Nick, trying to silence the boys. He had never been good with children.

'The Old Chateau? That's near here?' inquired Pearl, kneeling down to the boys' level. Alex wiped his face, nodded, and pointed through the trees. Nick looked; in the distance, wrapped in greenery, was a large stone house, barely visible in the darkness.

'What's that place?' he asked.

'I've heard about it,' she replied, standing up, 'It was abandoned long ago, and is supposedly haunted.'

Nick raised his head an inch in curiosity; the idea of ghosts did not phase him after his experience in Mauheru Town.

'We need to get the kid's Pikachu back.' he stated, a sense of heroism surging through him. Pearl looked at him and, after a moment, nodded in agreement.

'You will?' gasped Alex, grasping Nick's shirt.

'Sure we will.' He smiled back. 'We can't leave your Pokémon all alone.'

'You're really brave!' smiled Rob.

'Larvi-tarr!' cried his companion. Despite its small size, it looked strong; Nick did not doubt that it was capable of hurting a Pikachu.

'Ready, Pearl?' he grinned, turning to his unfriendly acquaintance.

'As I'll ever be, Nick…' she sighed, pulling the strap of her backpack further up her shoulder.

With a nod to the young trainers, they began to wrestle their way through the overgrown bushes and into the encapsulation of the trees.

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Upturned roots continually made them trip as they ventured towards the supposedly haunted mansion. Pearl stayed relatively composed while Nick clung to trees to keep his balance. The chateau loomed from a small hill, its large, rusty doors and windows ominously reminiscent of a face. Only small gaps in the canopy above them lent any light to the scene, and the rustling of wild creatures in the surroundings added to the sense of foreboding. His bravery had become partly replaced with fear as he again found his sense of adventure rising above all other logic; he really needed to work on it. Eventually, they found themselves at the front door.

'Look.' said Pearl quietly, pointing down. A small chunk of the frame was missing, leaving a hole just big enough for a Pikachu to squeeze through.

'But what if it still didn't come in here?' he asked.

'Let's find out.' she replied, taking out a Pokéball. 'Ralts, come on out!'

Ralts appeared, looking up at its trainer with the same stony expression she often showed.

'Ralts, can you detect Pikachu anywhere?'

The little psychic-type bowed its head, and its horn started to glow a light blue colour. It spun round for several seconds before pointing at the Old Chateau.

'Raaa!'

'It definitely went in there.' she stated, gesturing towards the hole.

The cold steel handles had been rusted stiff against the wooden panels. They stood for a few moments before Nick broke the silence:

'Ladies first?'

'… Fine, whatever.' she snapped back, pushing the doors open slowly. He grinned and followed her inside to find a large, pitch-black room.

'We'll need some light.' came Pearl's voice. Moments later, a light illuminated the room. Nick looked down to the source – Ralts was creating a continuous flash from its horn.

'Pikachu? You in here?' she called. There was no reply.

'Maybe we should go further in…' mumbled Nick.

'Let's go then.' said Pearl softly. She was acting much braver than he had expected.

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They searched room after room of the dark house. The atmosphere had grown cold and tense, the two trainers holding their breaths as they creaked open every door, fearing that an unfriendly spectre would suddenly emerge from the shadows. But it was quiet. Nothing went bump in the night, and no eerie moaning came from any of the corridors. The rooms were largely empty; decrepit furniture lined most of them, but apart from that, there was very little of note. Paintings of various men, women and children were the only exception, their pale faces buried by dust and time. Who were they? Had they lived here many years ago?

'Pearl…' he began, 'Why was this place abandoned?'

'Well, from what I've heard,' she whispered back, 'A rich family once lived here, and all but the father died from a strange illness. Such loss drove him to despair, and he became something of a recluse in his later years. After he died, no one wanted to enter a house that such misfortune had befallen, and it was left to ruin.'

Nick's sweat got colder; people had died in this place?

'Just one room left to try now…' she breathed as they follows Ralts' torch down an empty hallway towards a set of black wooden doors.

'Pikachu just has to be in here…' he whispered. They had abandoned calling out for Pikachu, so as not to wake anything that might have been sleeping somewhere in the house…

The doors creaked open to reveal a large study room, a large marble mantelpiece framing a fire that had long since burned out. A chandelier hung forlornly above their heads, its once beautiful crystals now dusty and forgotten like the large armchair and wide oak desk. The latter was home to only a bronze picture frame, in it a portrait of a chestnut-haired man, a thick moustache stretching from one puffed cheek to another. Lining the sides of the room were towering bookshelves, ancient-looking, yellow-paged works crammed into every available inch of space. And atop one of these old pieces of furniture, curled into a ball and trembling, was Pikachu.

'Look! There is it!' cried Nick, breaking the silence and making Pearl jump in fright.

'Come on down!' she called to it. It looked down at them and snarled, its red cheeks crackling with electricity.

'We're not going to hurt you, we're here to rescue you.' smiled Nick, reaching up for the mouse. As he approached it, it let out an angry cry and fired a bolt of electricity towards him, missing him by inches and scorching the decayed red carpet.

'Whoa!' exclaimed Nick, stepping back.

'Ralts, Disable.' sighed Pearl, putting her hands on her hips, as though despairing of Nick's behaviour. Her Pokémon raised its tiny hands and a blue light glowed around Pikachu. Its aggravated expression turned to one of confusion as it was lifted through the air and carried into Pearl's arms, unable to resist.

'Good, Ralts.' she said to her Pokémon. It did not reply. Nick looked on in begrudged admiration before something else caught his eye; a large, open book lying on the floor below where Pikachu had sat. He picked it up and observed its pages, his eyebrows raising.

'Look at this,' he gasped, 'It's all about ancient myths of Sinnoh…'

'What does it say?' she asked, stroking the helpless Pikachu's long ears.

He looked at the long passage on the stained page, reciting it to Pearl as he read:

_In the beginning, there was only a constant chaos. From the void came the Original One, creating the world with its 1,000 arms. From itself it created two beings – the Being of Space and the Being of Time. The universe began to expand and time spurred life to evolve. Three other beings did it then create, who gave all life the wisdom, emotion and will to survive. From the highest summit the Original One looked down on its finished work, and ascended the golden steps to a higher plain of existence, taking to eternal rest._

He looked up at Pearl, hoping deep down that she could explain further.

'I've heard that before, I think…' she declared, closing her eyes in thought, 'Pokémon that made the world.'

Nick's eyes widened.

'You mean everything was created by a Pokémon?' he exclaimed. He had often thought about how vast space was and how everything had began, but the idea that a wild creature could have done it all was mind-blowing.

'It's just a legend.' she replied, as though brushing it off. 'No one knows the answer to such questions. Even if those Pokémon existed, the stories about them could have been changed over time.'

'Oh, right…' he said, slightly disappointed. He put the book back onto the shelf and turned back to her.

'We should get going. I'm sure that kid wants his Pikachu back.'

'Yeah, let's go.' she nodded, clutching the little mouse.

He gazed around the room one more time, his eyes focusing most on the man's portrait; it somehow looked different than when he had first looked at it. Just then, a cold chill roared through the room, almost blowing them off their feet. The chandelier swung violently as the shadows in the corners began to move and converge into one entity. Its floating black figure looked down at them, a large, rotund torso decorated with what appeared to be an evil face, a single, red glowing eye peering from beneath a shining helmet, two thick arms hanging by its sides.

'That's a…' began Pearl, lifting her Pokédex.

'Dusknoir,' it stated, finishing her sentence for her before continuing, 'The Gripper Pokémon. The antenna on its head is said to receive messages from the spirit world, commanding it to take lost souls there.'

'Wow…' sighed Pearl, staring in disbelief. Nick, however, was not as impressed as he looked at Dusknoir's glaring eye.

'Pearl…' he whispered, 'I think we should leave… now.'

He grabbed her arm and they began to pace backwards from the towering ghost-type, the still-shining Ralts following closely at its trainer's feet. Dusknoir hovered in a motionless silence before raising its arms.

'Dusk-noiiiiiir!'

Another chill blew from its body, imbued with purple smog. It enveloped the whole room in the thick fog, and both human and Pokémon were filled with unaccountable terror, Ralts and Pikachu shaking in pain.

'That's… Ominous Wind!' spluttered Pearl, her heart racing in fear.

'Go, Shellder! Aurora Beam!' commanded Nick, taking it upon himself to start the fight. Shellder appeared and shot a cold blast through the fog. Dusknoir, however, disappeared before the attack hit it. Moments later, its powerful arm came swinging from the void, knocking Shellder into the nothingness and out of sight.

'Shellder, no!' shrieked Nick.

'Ralts, your turn!' coughed Pearl, 'Confusion!'

The light on Ralts' head glowed brighter and a blue ray shot at Dusknoir. It was stricken, but with a swipe dissolved the attack. Its fist began to shine with a black light before it returned a move, knocking the psychic-type out. Without Ralts' Flash, the room was cast into darkness until Nick released Elekid to regain visibility, and unveil the sight of their enemy building a ball of dark energy between its hands.

'That's… S-Shadow Ball!' cried the girl.

'We're f-finished if that hits!' stuttered Nick. He was fearful that they might become its latest recruits to the world of spirits. He braced himself.

'Wait, I… I think I know what's h-happening!' came Pearl's voice from the growing mist.

Through his almost-blind eyes, he saw her struggle past Dusknoir towards the other end of the room, grabbing something on the desk and thrusting it at the ghost-type with the arm that was not cradling the trembling Pikachu. It turned to look at her, its Shadow Ball still building with power.

'Stop!' she screamed, and the Ominous Wind began to subside.

'Noir?'

'This was… your master!'

Through the clearer air, Nick could see she was holding the picture of the moustachioed man. Dusknoir seemed to have dropped its attack and adopted an inquisitive stance.

'We don't mean to harm you or your master!' she pleaded.

He had never heard her voice so full of empathy or longing.

'Please, Dusknoir… please…'

Several moments passed before their opponent's energy fizzled out as it lowered its arms and cleared the air completely.

'Is it… over?' asked Nick

'Can we… go?' said the girl to the Pokémon. Its thick frame faded into darkness before its eye appeared from the shadows, many times larger than usual, gazing down at them in a sinister mercy.

'DUUUSK-NOOOOIIIIR!'

The spectral bellow was enough to indicate that they should leave. Pearl quickly put down the portrait, recalled her fallen companions along with Nick, and dashed out of the door. Cold sweat and rushing thoughts distracted them from all else as they ran through the black corridors and out of the house where they had found themselves to be unwelcome guests.

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'Thanks so much!' sobbed Alex as Pearl handed him back the helpless Pikachu. 'Are you okay?' he asked looking down at it. It whimpered and licked his cheek.

'We're sorry, Pikachu.' sighed Rob, who was carrying a small lantern.

'Lar!' piped Larvitar.

'Don't push your Pokémon too hard in future.' said Pearl, finding her stern, almost-obnoxious tone once more.

'We won't.' mumbled the boys as they began to walk ahead and into the darkness. Nick smiled as he watched them go, happy that he had helped. He waited until their flickering lantern had vanished before turning back to his female rival, her stiff face illuminated only by Ralts

'Well… I'm glad we got out of there. That was one nasty Pokémon!' he laughed.

'No, it wasn't.' she spat back, pulling a small sleeping bag from her pack and laying it down on the forest floor. She saw Nick's confused expression and sighed. 'It was protecting its master's home… its own home.'

'What do you mean?' he asked, beginning to feel clueless.

'That Dusknoir obviously belonged to the owner of the Old Chateau – the man in the picture.' she explained, gathering sticks and piling them on the ground. 'It thought we were intruders and was defending its owner's property… defending the memory of its owner.'

Nick instantly understood; the presence of such a guardian must have been the reason the house had been left alone – no one would approach it to renovate it or pull it down. A smile flickered on Pearl's lips as she realised he had understood, before she regained her tough posture.

'The bond between a well-cared-for Pokémon and a good-hearted human can last for eternity. They keep each other alive even when they cross into the realms of death.' she stated.

Nick shivered at these words, in awe and admiration of the world that he had immersed himself in during the short period of time since he had left home. Smiling, he pulled out his own sleeping bag and spread it out on the ground opposite Pearl before squeezing himself into it. He released Elekid to spark the bundle of sticks and start a warming fire before resting his head and wishing Pearl a goodnight that was reciprocated via a mutter.

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In a nearby dark room, a chestnut-haired man slept peacefully in an armchair as the shadow of a ghost Pokémon floated contentedly and protectively by his side.


	13. Where Dragons Dare

**Note from the author: apologies for the gap between this chapter and the last. A hectic schedule has affected how much time I give to this story, but rest assured that it will continue indefinitely and that I will try to update more often. Thanks.**

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He was awoken by the sound of laughter. The morning sun hurt his eyes as he sat up, wiping back the hair that had stuck to his sweaty face during the night. Yawning, he looked across to Pearl, who was sitting with Wailmer, a wide smile both their faces. She turned and, seeing he was awake, instantly regained a stern persona.

'It's about time you woke up – we'll never get to Hearthome if you just sleep all day.'

'Good morning to you too.' smirked Nick, pulling himself out of his sweltering sleeping bag.

She pulled a face at him and began to pack items back into her bag.

'We need to continue along this route and cross part of Mount Coronet to get there.'

'That's fine.' he replied, rolling up the sleeping bag and stuffing it into his backpack. 'What's Wailmer doing out?' he grinned.

'Oh, errr…' she began in a fluster, 'I was just making sure it was okay.'

He turned and surveyed the road ahead, smiling to himself; Wailmer seemed to be changing Pearl's attitude for the better.

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The area was a lot more pleasant to walk through than it had been at night; the trees were a pleasant shade of green, the wild grass long and soft, and the Old Chateau less intimidating as it sat quietly in the distance. Conversation between the two was infrequent, but there was little tension in the air. As they passed a large pond at the roadside, Nick's attention was caught by three small creatures sitting on the bank. They were blue in colour, their shapes round with a large black and white spiral under moon-like eyes and beak-like lips.

'Hey, what are those?' asked Nick.

'Wild Poliwag.' said Pearl, paying little attention.

'Maybe I should catch one!' he exclaimed, reaching into his pocket for a Pokéball. Pearl grabbed his arm.

'You already have a water-type.' she sighed, as though he had made a crucial error.

'Uh… yeah?'

'Well, do you really need another?' she continued. 'If you're taking on the Pokémon League, it helps to raise a team of varying types. It means you have a higher chance of winning through type advantages.'

'I guess you're right.' he nodded, dropping the Pokéball. The Poliwag somersaulted into the pond, each with a _poleee_!

They continued around the bending road, clouds slowly gathering overhead. Bushes rustled as they strolled and they occasionally saw wild creatures that they surveyed with their Pokédexes: sleeping Cherubi hung from a branch, swaying in the breeze; a Kricketot sat on a ledge playing a discordant tune with its antennae; Sandshrew popped their heads out of the ground, peeking at their surroundings, and Starly circled the treetops while chirping merrily to each other.

'This place is really lively.' smiled Nick as he observed the various monsters.

'We're essentially in the wilds of Sinnoh,' replied Pearl, putting her Pokédex back into her pocket, 'So there's a high concentration of untamed Pokémon. Every area around Mount Coronet is supposedly like this.'

As they turned another corner, something that looked out-of-place came into view; a large cement structure sloped into the green canopy, rubble falling from it into a pile sitting amidst the wilderness.

'What's that thing?' he asked.

'It looks like the Cycling Road, but… it's collapsed!' gasped Pearl, starting to run ahead. Nick hesitated before following her, some nearby Sandshrew withdrawing into their burrow in fright at the trainers' sudden movement. He was almost out of breath by the time they reached the base of the cracked column that had held up the bike path. It was resting at a slant, the road snapped in two like a twig, crushing the trees it had fallen into.

'This is terrible.' muttered Pearl.

'Hey, you kids!' came a voice from behind them, 'Get away from there! It's dangerous!'

Turning around, they saw a portly, sallow-skinned man approaching them. He was wearing a yellow hardhat and his thick gloves were covered in dust.

'What happened?' she asked, taking steps away from the destruction.

'The Pokémon that live in the caves underneath Cycling Road went nuts!' he barked, his voice naturally aggressive. 'They started tremors and made the ground unstable by digging everywhere!'

Nick's eyes widened; he did not like the idea of Pokémon being the cause of such damage.

'What kind of Pokémon live down there?' he asked.

'We got mostly Geodude down there, and the odd Onix…' the man replied slowly, rubbing the back of his head in thought, 'But there's only one kind livin' down there that could have done this.'

'What kind?' gritted Pearl, growing frustrated with the man's slow explanation.

'Gible.' he sighed.

Nick took out his Pokédex; it had automatically displayed the entry for the creature. It was a small turquoise animal, possessing a huge mouth lined with razor-sharp teeth and a pointed fin protruding from its back.

'Gible, the Land Shark Pokémon. It lives underground in the geothermal heat of caves, jumping from holes to catch prey.'

'Seems like a tough little character…' coughed Nick.

'They can be really temperamental things.' nodded the man.

'That, and they're capable of this kind of destruction if they get riled.' asserted Pearl. 'Dragon-types are very powerful, and it's a ground-type too, so when it uses its attacks underground… things like this can happen.'

'Yeah.' grumbled the man. 'And yesterday morning, the whole thing came crashin' down. Something must have spooked the little critters bad. In all the years that the road has been above the caves, nothin' like this has happened. What's more, the bridge is as strong as can be, so it was some powerful quakes to have this effect.'

'Has anyone explored in the caves yet?' asked Pearl, concerned but trying to keep her cool.

'Nope – it's too dangerous. If they went wild again, the tunnels could collapse.' frowned the man, frustrated. 'Plus, we ain't got Pokémon powerful enough to take on a pack of Gible if they attacked.'

Pearl looked to Nick. She had the same look in her eyes that he must have had in his when he decided they should enter the Old Chateau the night before.

'Well?'

'What?' he replied, flustered, 'You want _us_ to go down there?'

'Why not? Our Pokémon are strong.' she stated, as though he had missed an obvious point. He was touched that she considered his partners as formidable, but was hesitant on venturing below the ground with her.

'You can't do it, it's too risky! You might not come back!' bellowed the man, flailing his arms. His tone, however, was synthetic; he seemed to want them to go ahead and help sort things out while trying to act in a responsible, grown-up manner.

'We'll come back.' shot back Pearl, as though completely sure that no harm would befall them.

'H-Hey, I didn't agree to this!' stuttered Nick, still unsure.

'Yesterday you nearly fell to your doom while chasing a Chingling.' she sighed. 'Where's that clueless sense of adventure went?'

He was speechless; resentful of Pearl's manipulation but, for some reason, feeling compelled to live up to her expectations.

'If you're going down there,' began the man, lifting a finger, 'It's at your own risk. If you get stuck, our Pokémon can try dig you out… but I can't promise nothin'.'

She nodded, and the man led them through the trees and rubble. Nick walked slowest.

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'You can't let these kids go down there!' hissed another worker.

'Shh! If they wanna do it, it's up to them!' whispered back the man who had led Nick and Pearl to the cave entrance. He had revealed his name as Joe and that he was the boss of the Oreburgh City Mining & Construction Force. He and his recruits had built the Cycling Road originally.

Several yards from where the group of men huddled, Nick and Pearl looked into the darkness of the tunnel, like a gaping wound on the earth. It sloped down under the land at almost as steep an incline as the fallen bicycle road. They would definitely require light from Elekid and Ralts.

'Should we be doing this?' he asked timidly, looking sideways to her. She continued to look at the cave.

'A good Pokémon Trainer strives to help other people and Pokémon.' she replied, closing her eyes in thought. 'I think… that it's our duty to do this.'

Nick looked away again. He was unsure of how accurate Pearl's wisdom was but, in a way, he admired her words.

'So… what do we do?'

'We go in and see if we can find whatever annoyed the Gible, and we put it right.' She said sternly. 'We may need to battle whatever Pokémon are down there… so be ready.'

Joe approached them and thrust a telephone-like device into Nick's hand.

'Use this to contact us if you have to. Just hold down the big button and speak.'

'Have the caves been documented in a map?' asked Pearl, her tone still suggesting that she was not fond of Joe, and that she felt obliged against her will to go through with the mission.

'Yes… It's one of the areas charted in the Pokétch,' replied the man, nodding to Nick's wrist, 'But the landslide may have drastically changed the layout of the area. It's sure affected the surface.'

'Hmm.' frowned Pearl. 'Ralts, Flash.'

It took Nick a moment to respond.

'Oh… you too, Elekid.'

The bright light from the two little Pokémon was harsh on the eyes at first, but softened as they made their way into the unknown.

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After following the winding tunnel, they found themselves staring at the shattered, leaning pillar that had previously held up the road. Earth had fallen from above and partially obstructed the path; it had since settled, but looked dangerous, as though it could collapse again at any minute.

'We need to be careful,' started Pearl, looking up and down at the structure, 'Too much movement could trap us… or worse.'

Nick swallowed and followed her over the rubble as they continued on their way. The cave was staggeringly hot, their skin starting to dampen. This was obviously the reason why the Land Shark Pokémon inhabited this underground area. They battled their way through the heat and darkness, feet aching on the harsh terrain and sweat stinging their eyes, until something made them stop; a pointed fin was protruding from the ground.

'Is it…?' he whispered.

'Yes.' she snapped back silently, as if hushing him.

The Gible leapt from the hole it hid in and looked at them. Nick could tell it was a ferocious species as the creature's cold eyes looked into his.

'Stay… still…' urged Pearl.

'Giiiii…' growled the Gible, its small but razor-sharp teeth gleaming in the light coming from Ralts and Elekid. Its legs tensed, as though it was about to leap at them.

Nick was not afraid of it, but he knew if they had to battle then it could do severe damage to their surroundings and the land above. He gulped. Suddenly, however, there was a tremor, knocking all humans and Pokémon to the ground. The Gible snarled, its eyes closed as though in pain, and it burrowed out of sight

'W-What w-was that!' exclaimed Nick as the tunnel stopped shaking.

'I d-don't know,' replied Pearl, 'But we had better find out and try to stop it.'

She took out the walkie-talkie and spoke into it.

'We just encountered a Gible. It was pretty agitated. There was a rumble from deeper inside too.'

'We felt it. Keep us posted.' Came Joe's distorted voice, seconds later.

Getting to their feet, they began to walk at a quicker pace.

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Several more quakes happened as they continued deeper, but none of them were as strong as the first. The small burrow-holes of Gible became more frequent as they went on and, eventually, they turned a corner into what was a surprisingly large cavern. They both stood and looked in silence at what was ahead. A group of Team Obsidia members were surrounding a large, vibrating steel machine, casting whips at the many Gible who writhed in pain around them. A large cage trapped several more of the dragon-types, who were bound and unconscious. Nick's stomach sank at the scene; it was horrific. Suddenly, one of the villains caught sight of them and bellowed.

'Hey! I remember that brat! The one from Oreburgh Museum!'

Nick looked into the man's eyes and his heart leapt up from his collapsed stomach; he was indeed one of the men that had stolen the cloning machinery not so long ago.

'Yes, I remember, Duane,' replied another man, stepping up beside him, 'He certainly took care of my Seadra.'

Nick's throat closed up as he recognised the other man too; he had defeated him while defending Gerald. But now he was cornered underground – did they seek revenge?

'I don't believe we were introduced properly before,' continued the man, 'I am Golding, Admin and Second-in-Command of Team Obsidia.'

'Good for you, would you like a medal?' snapped Pearl, adopting a fighting stance. 'What are you doing to these Gible?'

'Well, the young lady's got some fangs.' sneered Golding to Duane, who smiled wickedly. 'But if you must know, we're using this machine to create tremors. It drives the wild Pokémon crazy, makes them easy to catch… and these dragon-types are rare and valuable.'

'So it's you who caused the Cycling Road to collapse! The Gible were confused and caused the earthquake!'

'Are you done, detective?' he replied, an evil grin stretching across his face.

'You make me sick!' spat Pearl. Nick was taken aback by her anger, and thankful he was not on the receiving end. 'How can you treat Pokémon as a commodity? And what kind of person buys an ill-gotten Pokémon from creeps like you?'

'Oh, you'd be surprised!' piped up Duane, 'There's the casinos who give them away as prizes, young trainers who we trick into spending their money on them and, of course, others who aren't opposed to doing business with us-'

'Silence!' bellowed Golding, giving his comrade a sharp look. He turned back to Nick and Pearl. 'We can't have you two meddling in our affairs anymore, I'm afraid.'

The rest of the Obsidia members, after subduing all the present Gible, stood behind Golding and Duane as they withdrew a Pokéball each.

'Go, Porygon-Z!' cried Golding.

'Hitmontop, come on!' said the other.

There were two bursts of light and two figures appeared. One was small and looked very strange; it floated in mid-air, its smooth, blue and red body contorting wildly, its eyes nothing more than rapidly-twisting spirals. The other was balancing on its head, thrusting its sharply-clawed feet round in circles.

'Huh?' muttered Pearl, as both trainers held up their Pokédexes.

'Porygon-Z. A recently-discovered Pokémon, it is an upgraded version of the manmade creature, Porygon. Despite its instability, it escaped to the wild where it survived and multiplied.'

'What an odd thing…' she mused, seeming caught up in research and forgetting her immediate situation. Nick's Pokédex spoke:

'Hitmontop, the Handstand Pokémon. It attacks while spinning like a top. The velocity allows it to burrow into the ground.'

'Are you ready, Nick? We need to save those Gible!'

'Right!' nodded Nick. He was willing to do all he could to stop Team Obsidia by this point in time.

'Wailmer, go!' cried Pearl. A Pokéball soared into the air and the round creature appeared, its usually playful expression now one of determination and anger.

'Nosepass, let's do this!' cried Nick as his rock-type entered the battle.

Their two Pokémon faced off against their opponents, glaring at each other. This was not a competitive battle; it was one of good against evil, for morality and decency. Elekid and Ralts stood by the feet of their trainers, their light no longer required since their enemies had lit the whole area with machinery.

'Wailmer, Water Gun!' commanded Pearl.

It opened its wide mouth and a gushing jet of water shot at Porygon-Z.

'Protect!' snarled Golding.

The virtual Pokémon quickly produced a glowing aura around itself, and the water bounced off of this shield instead of coming into contact with its body.

'Conversion 2!' continued the Obsidian Admin.

There was a flash of blue, and the protective forcefield faded. The Pokémon was still unharmed, however, and floated contentedly in the jet.

'Now use Discharge and Tackle!' he finished, grinning toothily and maliciously.

Porygon-Z suddenly darted down the stream of water, releasing an electrical surge that followed it into Wailmer's body, delivering a blow and burst of power.

'Wailmer!' cried Pearl. Golding had reacted much faster than she had and now her Pokémon was out of commission. It rolled over onto its side, shaking in pain.

'Let me try!' exclaimed Nick, trying to sound both comforting and headstrong. 'Nosepass, use Stone Edge!'

'Nuu-pa!' it cried as several stones rose from the ground and flew at Hitmontop. The fighting-type started to spin rapidly and kicked them all away from itself before starting to move towards Nosepass.

'Hi Jump Kick!' laughed Duane, his eyes still not as savage as those of his leader.

His Pokémon span forward, leapt high into the air, and brought a spinning kick down on Nosepass' head. The rock-type – particularly weak to fighting moves – rolled back several yards, but found its feet again.

'Try using Thunder Wave!' Nick continued.

Nosepass released a ring of electrical power towards the Hitmontop. Its spinning decreased in speed before it fell to one knee, twitching.

'Dig, Hitmontop!' shouted Duane.

Struggling, the creature began to spin again and tore its way under the earth. Moments later, it emerged from under Nosepass, sending the rock monster into the air before kicking it back into the ground with a force that made the stones it landed on shatter into pieces.

'Too easy!' snorted Duane.

'Now,' began Golding, 'Are you going to leave or do we need to take drastic action to get rid of you?'

Nick looked into the man's burning eyes with hatred; he did not want to give up against them, but they could never defeat all of the criminals. Pearl, however, had other ideas:

'We'll never surrender to you, you… scum!'

'In that case…' he sighed, closing his eyes. 'Zap Cannon.'

Porygon-Z made a sinister, electronic sound and began to glow. Moments later, a sizzling ball of energy was hurling towards the trainers and their Pokémon. Its light blinded Nick until the silhouette of a creature erupted from below and hovered between him and the attack before somehow defusing it.

'Grrraaaaaaahhhh!' cried the tall blue dragon-type. Its fin was much larger than that of Gible, and scythe-like ones protruded from its long claws, its legs and arms lined with spikes. He looked to Pearl in wonder, to find her already opening her Pokédex.

'Garchomp, Gible's evolved form. Extremely powerful, it can fly faster than a jet plane and create blades from wind.'

The creature roared again, and Team Obsidia all started to step back, their faces now stern with fear.

'It… blocked the attack!' gasped Nick.

'It must be protecting its family, and knew we were doing the same…' replied Pearl, dazed.

The Garchomp suddenly leapt from the ground and, spinning faster than Hitmontop, soared through the air, into one side of the machine and out the other. The contraption instantly quietened, smoke billowing from its hinges. The dragon then thrust its claw in a slicing motion, a sharp ripple of wind cutting open the cage in which the Gible were held.

'No! Not those!' cried Golding, reaching out in a futile gesture.

'It's amazing!' laughed Nick, still in awe.

'We need to go.' gritted the leader to the others.

'And don't come back!' shouted Pearl.

'If we were to meet again, you would pay!' he snarled back at them. 'But you won't meet again after this!'

He withdrew a small device and pushed a button. Several blasts came from the tunnel they had entered through. By the time the debris settled and they had unshielded their eyes, rocks had fallen and completely sealed the path.

'No!' cried Nick, turning back to face his enemies.

'And before we bow out,' he continued, 'Fancy thinking you could defeat us with our own Pokémon.

'What… do you mean?' stuttered the girl.

'Where did you catch them?' he asked, sneering.

Nick looked to Pearl, but she did not reciprocate.

'Near Mauheru Town…'

'I met Elekid at Lake Verity. What's it to you?' barked Nick, adopting the aggressive tone that Pearl seemed to have lost.

'Strange places to find those species, no?' continued Golding. 'Look at the odd markings.'

Pearl slowly turned to look at the strange symbol emblazoned on the injured Wailmer's fin.

'Look familiar?' he snorted, gesturing his hand toward the same symbol, decorating the chest of his black uniform. Nick instantly understood, and looked down at Elekid. He had never realised it before, but the circle pattern was tattooed onto the side of his companion's foot. It growled in anger at its previous owners, its antennae crackling wildly.

'You see, those Pokémon were part of a haul that escaped from us while we were transporting them.' concluded Golding, folding his arms and closing his eyes again in accomplishment.'

Nick looked at him, open-mouthed and wide-eyed; this news meant little in the grand scheme of things, but it was still hard to take in. Pearl reacted differently:

'You monsters!'

She began running towards them, as though prepared to battle with her own fists. Golding opened his eyes quickly and held a clenched fist in front of his face.

'Alakazam!'

Nick wondered why he was shouting ridiculous magic words, but moments later a strange animal-like creature appeared from behind the villainous crew, carrying two spoons in its arm-like claws. It held them together and, in a bright white flash, it disappeared along with the rest of Team Obsidia and their Pokémon.

'We're stuck here?' groaned Nick, staring at the fallen rocks.

'Looks like it.' gritted Pearl. 'This thing's busted too.'

She held up the walkie-talkie and pressed the button. It made no sound.

'So we can't call for h-help?' asked Nick, his voice breaking in worry.

'What do you think?' spat back Pearl, turning to survey the blocked tunnel. Several moments of tense, uncertain silence passed before she spoke again. 'Unless…'

She turned to the massive dragon Pokémon that stood behind them, an army of Gible around its razor-like feet. Nick had almost forgotten it was there, but was relieved that it seemed to be docile around them.

'Would you help us, Garchomp?' asked Pearl firmly.

'Grraaaaaahhh!' it replied, its piercing howl resonating round the room, burrowing its way into their ears like an audio counterpart of Sandshrew. It crouched into a defensive stance.

'Please, Garchomp. We want to stop the people who hurt your family.'

Nick looked at Pearl. Her eyes were locked with those of the creature, but not full of pleading or worry; they burned with a determination and sense of equality. She was trying to convey to the Garchomp that they had tried to help it, so it should return the favour. She was not trying to command it like it was a tamed Pokémon.

'Grrraaaah! Grrrrrraaaaah!' it eventually barked and, quicker than they could comprehend, it darted into the wall, spinning and thrashing it claws wildly, before disappearing out of sight. The pack of Gible followed after it. The trainers watched.

'Is it safe for us to follow them?' worried Nick.

'Where's that sense of adventure?' grinned Pearl.

With that, they darted across the dusty earth and began to scale the rugged way out on their hands and knees, slipping occasionally as the stones and dirt beneath them gave way, until daylight rained down on their heads from the distance.

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'What happened?' asked Joe as he helped Nick out of the tunnel and into the revitalising fresh air; the wind on his face felt like a blessing. Readjusting his eyes to the sunlight, he saw Garchomp and the Gible standing with the group of nervous construction workers. Pearl was by his side, her clothes grubby from the ascent.

'Team Obsidia were poaching Gible.' she explained sternly. 'We got rid of them, but the underground paths have caved in.'

'We shouldn't have even sent you down there,' he admitted, looking to his feet, 'But thanks for getting rid of those darn crooks.'

Nick smiled at the men who were obviously in awe of the presence of Garchomp.

'I knew we had Gible… but look at _this_ thing!' came a voice from the crowd.

Everyone looked to the man who had spoken. A white splotch ran from his shoulder to his breast. His eyes slowly moved from the beast to meet those of all who were staring at his stained attire.

'Oh, err…' he began, embarrassed, 'The tremors scared some Starly from the trees and they flew right over us…'

The crowd began to laugh – except Pearl, who rolled her eyes – as the pack of dragons disappeared back into their once-again peaceful home.


	14. Nosepass Rages and Ralts Changes!

**Please expect more regular chapter updates over the coming months! (16/12/10)**

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The sun was beginning to set as Nick hurriedly pushed at the numbers on the telephone set. The small public cabin they had used as a rest stop was not entirely comfortable, but more so than sleeping on the forest floor as they had for a few nights now. Pearl sat on the unkempt bed, stroking the Pokéball that contained the convalescing Wailmer. Tree branches, like grey, skeletal fingers, brushed gently across the grimy window.

'Yes?' came a voice at the other end of the line.

'Hi Professor, it's Nick. Pearl's here too.'

'To what do I owe the pleasure?' said Rowan.

'We had a run-in with Team Obsidia.'

'You did?' came the reply, the professor suddenly sounding more animated and concerned, 'What happened?'

Nick regaled him with the events of the previous days; how they had went into the caves below the fallen Cycling Road to discover Team Obsidia trying to capture the native wild Gible.

'Those bandits…' grumbled the old man, 'Are you both alright?'

'We're fine.' he replied. 'They told us that… that…'

He struggled to find the right words before Pearl grabbed the receiver from him.

'Elekid and my Wailmer are from a shipment of captured and stolen Pokémon. They all escaped across Sinnoh, and so there are now species lost in strange habitats.'

There was a silence.

'That could be dangerous.' affirmed Rowan. 'The lost Pokémon might become agitated and scared in unfamiliar surroundings. Anyone who approaches them might be in trouble. You're just lucky that the two that you encountered were friendly.'

'I understand.' nodded Pearl.

'Just be on your guard. Anyway, how are the Pokédexes coming along? And did Nick beat Gardenia?'

'Yeah!' exclaimed Nick from the window.

'Yes, he did, as you just heard,' replied Pearl, rolling her eyes, 'And we're seeing a lot of wild creatures on this route. We're just about to cross the base of Mount Coronet to get to Hearthome City.'

'Be careful on Coronet,' started Rown, exercising his wisdom, 'It's extremely dangerous at the top, but even the bottom isn't too safe. There are several ravines and high cliffs.'

'Yeah, we know.' replied Pearl, the corners of her lips almost lifting into a grin. Nick knew she was thinking about his attempt to catch Chingling. She made a few more monotonous expressions before hanging up the phone with a 'bye'.

'Shall we get going?' asked Nick.

'No, we'll decorate this place and settle down here.' sighed Pearl, picking up her bag and Pokéballs and walking out the door.

Nick scratched the back of his neck and followed.

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The pebble spent several moments falling through the air before hitting the gushing waters below, almost invisible by the time it arrived at the surface. Nick watched it from over the side of the cliff and gulped. The road that went round the base of the mountain was as perilous as Rowan had promised, while Coronet itself loomed over them as though trying to distract their attention and cause a fall.

'We're so high up…' he whimpered.

'Well don't go near the edge!' she shouted, without turning around.

The cliff edge formed a path round the mountain, which they trekked with caution, the winds powerful but not fierce. Eventually, they reached a grass-covered plateau. Had he not been terrified at this point, he would have taken time to appreciate the breathtaking scenery; just over the distant hills, the tips of Hearthome's huge buildings could be seen, and to the south, the river spread out into the ocean. It felt like observing the whole world at once, and made him tremble with insignificance. He opened his mouth to speak to Pearl but then he caught sight of two figures approaching them from the opposite direction; a thick-skinned boy wearing worn, dusty clothes, a bob of orange hair hanging from his head. The other's clothes were either several sizes too big, or he had lost a lot of weight recently. His long, dark hair hung past his gaunt cheeks and perched on the shoulders of a leather jacket, the arms of which hung a few inches too far past his wrists. They stopped a few feet away from Nick and Pearl, and stared inquisitively.

'Can we help you?' asked Pearl, defensively.

'I'm Victor,' snorted the orange-haired boy, 'And this is Del.' he added, motioning to his friend, who nodded.

'Okay, thanks for letting us know.' she replied, starting to walk past them.

'What's the rush?' Victor asked.

'Well, I have no reason to talk to you, and I'm on my way to Hearthome City.'

Nick was slightly taken aback at the way she used 'I' and not 'we'.

'How about a Pokémon battle?' grinned Del.

Nick was almost positive he had seen Pearl's ears twitch as she heard these words. She stopped, took a breath, and turned to the shoddy-looking boys.

'You're on.'

She withdrew a Pokéball, but then Victor pointed to Nick.

'Him, too.'

Pearl looked round to her travel companion, who looked back, clueless.

'Well?' she piped.

'Well what?'

'A double battle.'

'You mean… battling together at the same time?' he asked, getting excited and nervous in equal measures. Pearl confirmed it, and the two teams faced off against each other, stepping back to each side of the spacious area. Nick looked to her for reassurance, but he received nothing. Their opponents threw Pokéballs into the air and, after the usual flash of light, a small but solid-looking black creature appeared, its ears pointing and protruding like its lower fangs. The other was a slightly-taller canine-like creature. It stood on two legs and its rabid eyes stared out from behind mask-like markings. Both Pokédex holders lifted their devices in the direction of these Pokémon.

'Munchlax,' stated Pearl's, regarding the first one, 'The Big Eater Pokémon. It consumes its weight daily to build its strength, and carries food under its fur.'

'Riolu.' continued Nick's of the second Pokémon. 'It is small but incredibly agile, and has the ability to sense and emanate emotions through auras.'

'A normal-type and a fighting-type.' muttered Pearl. 'Let's go!'

Nick had not decided which Pokémon to use by the time she had released Ralts onto the field. In a fluster, he threw the first one he grabbed from his pocket. Nosepass appeared, looking confused.

'Ha!' snorted Del, 'A rock-type against my fighting-type?'

Nick looked from the boy to Pearl, who shook her head in disparagement.

'Munchlax, Body Slam!' commanded Victor.

The tubby creature leapt towards Ralts, its eyes scrunched in determination.

'Teleport and counter.' nodded Pearl, her eyes closed in confidence.

Seconds before Munchlax hit it, her Pokémon vanished, reappearing behind its foe as it crashed into the ground, confused. Ralts tackled into the creature with a blue flash and it flew through the air.

_That must have been some hit, to make Munchlax move that far…_ thought Nick. His mind was interrupted by Del.

'Force Palm, Riolu!'

No sooner had the words left the boys chapped lips than his Pokémon shot towards Nosepass. Nick's mind raced with worry; such a powerful fighting-type could easily knock out his Pokémon. Suddenly, however, a blue light surrounded Riolu and it was knocked off-course and into some nearby rocks. Nick stared in disbelief before looking round; Ralts was stood clutching its head, the same light that encapsulated Riolu emanating from its head.

'Lucky that I have a psychic-type to save you.' sighed Pearl, eyes still closed. 'Their powers are super-effective against fighters.'

'I'll take on the other one then.' decided Nick, switching places with his uppity companion. 'Nosepass, go get Munchlax!'

Munchlax had recovered from Ralts' attack and was stood firm before its trainer, fists clenched. Nosepass ran towards it before jumping to tackle but, when it made contact, sank a few inches into its foe's skin before being bounced away in a burst of energy. It landed at Nick's feet.

'Ha!' laughed Victor, 'That was Munchlax's Stockpile attack! Its defence is higher now, and so is its attack!'

'Hmmm…' gritted Nick.

'Now, Munchlax, go defeat it!'

Just as Nosepass corrected itself, the Big Eater's fist swung into it, followed by another punch, a spinning kick, and a tackle. Taking heavy damage, the rock-type soared into the air before falling onto its back, dazed.

'Nosepass!' cried Nick, tears of frustration forming in his eyes.

'Bet you wish you'd stuck with the psychic one now, huh?' sneered Victor.

Nick stared at his Pokémon, unable to react. Its eyes were half-focused on the clouds in the sky above, its arms and legs twitching. It had clearly been hurt badly.

'Nuu… paah…' it moaned.

The four trainers, even their opponents, all looked in a sad wonder. Victor almost looked like he regretted attacking so brutally. Nick could have sworn he saw a glimmer run from its eye down its stony side. It continued to stare at the sky, before rolling over slightly to look up at the enormous Mount Coronet. A slight beam of sunlight squeezed its way through the clouds and onto the scene. Nosepass began to twitch more and more rapidly, until its body was rocking violently. Nick was about to approach it as it looked as though it was in horrific pain, but it quickly jumped to its feet and raised its arms.

'NOOOOOOOOSE-PAAAAAAH!' it roared, before turning to Munchlax and glaring. Its foe took a step back in fear and Victor looked in disbelief. The rock-type growled, still trembling. Moments of silent staring passed, before Nosepass, betraying its weighty frame, dashed forwards and returned the flurry of hits it had received, tenfold. After its foe had been beaten up, several jagged stones materialised around the rock creature and shot into Munchlax. Nick looked on, horrified at what his Pokémon was doing.

'Nosepass, stop! That's enough!'

'Nuuuuu!' it bellowed, looking to the mountain again. It paid no attention to its trainer and seemed to have adopted new-found traits of confidence and aggressiveness.

'M-Munchlax!' whimpered Victor, recalling his defeated ally.

Nick looked to Pearl, hoping she would know what to do. He found her to be looking equally as horrified, but at him, not the Pokémon.

'Get it back in its Pokéball! It's out of control!'

Nick pointed the ball at the creature and the red ray beamed out at it. However, Nosepass leapt away from it; it obviously wanted to remain out in the open. It took a few attempts before he successfully withdrew it from battle.

'I don't… know what's wrong with it.' he mumbled. Victor was silent.

'I'll take care of them, bro!' declared Del, nodding to his friend before pointing at Ralts. 'Riolu, finish that thing off with Cross Chop!'

The blue creature barked, folded its arms in an X-shape, and leapt at Pearl's Pokémon, visible power surging around its fists.

'Protect yourself.' said Pearl, confidently.

A glowing sphere formed around the little Pokémon and Riolu bounced off, stunned by its own attack.

'Now use your…' began Pearl, but stopped when she noticed what was happening inside the protective orb. Ralts' whole body was shining brightly. Seconds later, its form began to change, and the Protect barrier shattered. A wave of psychic energy was released and spread over the whole scene, knocking Riolu into its trainer who fell to the ground. The grass blew rapidly while Nick and Victor yelped as their heads throbbed under the influence of what was going on.

'Ralts?' moaned Pearl through the glare. It was obvious that she had not expected or instructed this to happen. When the magnificent light dimmed, a different creature stood where her Pokémon had been.

'Kiiiiiir!' it chirped. It looked like Ralts, only now standing on two long, skinny legs, a pair of large, beautiful eyes peeking out from beneath its elongated headpiece. Pearl smiled as she took out her Pokédex.

'Kirlia, Ralts' evolved form. It draws from its trainers emotions to unleash powerful psychic-type attacks.'

'Hello, Kirlia.' smiled Pearl, bending down and placing a hand on its delicate shoulder. Seeing her this happy was almost as rare an occasion as seeing a Pokémon evolve. Nick grinned, admiring her new companion and secretly wishing he had a psychic-type of his own.

'Pah, what a dumb-looking animal!' spat Victor, his hair matted into his eyes with sweat. 'Let's ditch these bozos!'

With that, the two strange-looking boys ran off down the mountainside and into the distant forestry.

'Their heads are too full of sawdust to ever become great trainers like us.'

Nick instinctively jolted his head back and smiled in surprise at Pearl referring to him as a great trainer. She seemed to have realised she had made some sort of error in announcing this, and looked back to Kirlia, embarrassed. The Pokémon smiled and glowed, picking up on her pride.

'Kiiiiiiir!'

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'Progress?' came the steel-like voice of the red-haired man, his silhouette standing in the doorway. The group of scientists turned in fear at his presence. Only one of them did not react, continuing to look into a wall-length, glass cylinder full of green liquid.

'Yes.' he finally replied, a dark smile linger on his face. The eerie light coming from the tank illuminated the nametag on his labcoat: Synn.

The man at the door approached him.

'The cloning system is fully operational, and the DNA trace acquired in the jungle has been introduced. Behold.' stated the scientist, almost whispering and gesturing towards the display.

'I see nothing.'

'Look… closer.'

Leaning forward and squinting his eyes, the man could make out a tiny object suspended in the fluid. To any other observer, it would have seemed unremarkable, but the man looked at it hungrily, scarred eyes widening slightly.

'It will take some time for it to grow fully – that is, of course, if it develops successfully.' stated Professor Synn, his smile fading.

'You had better see that it does – my money and ambition is going into this research. I will not see my dreams nullified.' replied the imposing man, his cold eyes glancing quickly at Synn before concentrating on the tiny specimen.

'The rarest of all Pokémon…'


	15. Leaving No Evolution Stone Unturned

The path eventually became less treacherous; after the plateau, they passed through a small circle of closely-packed pine trees before emerging before a long log bridge that stretched over a huge, tumbling waterfall and onto another distant cliff. Coronet seemed impassable, never coming to an end no matter how far they seemed to walk; from the top, one could surely see all of Sinnoh. Looking down from the monolithic landmark, Nick stared nervously at the bridge they now had to pass. He stopped to consider their actions, but Pearl simply kept walking and took her first steps onto the rattling wood, a hand on the supporting rope and Kirlia by her side.

'Is it… safe?' he asked, trying to sound considerate and not afraid.

'Only one way to find out.' she threw back over her shoulder.

'I…' he muttered.

Though unconvinced by Pearl's sarcasm, he followed her. The logs creaked as his sneaker made contact with it, and he gulped.

_Don't look down… don't look down…_

No sooner had he thought this than he involuntarily looked down. The sound of the crashing water was deafening, a white mist obscuring where the fall hit the river. There were tiny gaps in the bridge under where he walked – a drop of a few hundred feet. He looked upwards, trying to ignore this fact, but the vastness of the sky was more disorientating. He dropped his head again and saw that Pearl was far ahead, almost at the other side. Not phased, she turned around.

'Would you hurry up? We'll never get to Hearthome at this rate!'

'I'm c-coming!' he shot back. He was too nervous at this moment to take Pearl's abrasiveness. Moving faster and holding onto the rope so tight that it burned his palm, he caught up with her and eventually made it onto land again. He found that adrenaline was coursing through his veins and, unexpectedly, felt richer for the experience and for overcoming his fears.

'That wasn't so bad.' he smiled, shaking.

'Hearthome is just down there.' she stated, paying no attention to him.

Nick looked to where she was pointing and saw a large church spire protruding from a stone city surrounded by trees. With the idea of another badge now at the forefront of his mind, he took the lead as Pearl now tried to catch up with him.

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The sky was a pallet of burning orange and mellow purple as they walked through the city gates, which consisted of bronze railings which spelled out HEARTHOME and spiralled into the shapes of hearts and leaves. A wall of pine trees, slightly darker than those surrounding Coronet, formed a wall around the stone buildings. A street of pebbledash-covered apartments guided them into the heart of town, where the Pokémon Centre sat opposite the church they had seen from the mountain. It was difficult to decide which one was the anachronism in the scene; Hearthome had managed to accommodate both the ancient-looking holy tower and the gleaming, marble Centre in its friendly corner of Sinnoh without anything looking out of place.

'Hearthome Church…' started Pearl, breaking the lazy silence, 'A place where people pay respects to and learn about the spirituality and mythology of the Pokémon world.'

'Cool… shall we have a look?' asked Nick.

'It'll be closed by now.' she affirmed. 'But we can look at the noticeboard outside.'

They strolled over to the wooden signs at the side of the building. From underneath it, the church seemed as tall as Coronet, and emanated a feeling of comfort. A poster was pinned to the board that read:

TOMORROW: EVOLUTION SOLUTIONS

A display of known evolutionary items and live examples of rare, evolved Pokémon. Starts 1 o'clock.

'Sounds great.' smiled Nick.

'Yes, obviously we should be attending events that will help with the Pokédex project.' she confirmed in her common abrasive tone. 'Anyway, let's get to the Pokémon Centre for the night.'

'Right behind you!'

'Tch…' sighed Pearl as they crossed the quiet road towards food and a bed for the night.

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'That feels much better.' grinned Nick as he entered his bedsit, water dripping from his hair and a towel wrapped around his waist. Being out in the wilderness without a shower for days was not comfortable at all. Elekid and Shellder jumped excitedly at his return from the washroom. Nosepass was still in its Pokéball – he had not released it since its outburst earlier that day. He picked up the ball as he sat on the bed.

_I wonder…_

He pressed the button and it opened. Nosepass appeared and stared at him with its usual blank, expressionless charm.

'Are you okay now?' he asked.

'Nose-pah!' it chirped.

'What happened earlier?'

It looked down and sighed, as though remorseful but with no idea what had come over it.

'Well, don't worry. As long as you're okay.' the trainer smiled. The rock-type looked up again, content.

'Shell-der!'

'Elek!'

'Haha, and how are you guys?' he smiled, turning to his other two Pokémon. Their faces were easier to read, their expressions those of relaxation and happiness.

'Are you ready for a battle tomorrow?' he continued.

'Are _you_?' came a voice. He jumped in fright, thinking his companions had learned to talk. Turning, he saw Pearl, leaning on the doorway with her arms folded and her eyebrows raised. He shifted uncomfortably, making sure his towel was doing its job correctly.

'W-Wha?'

'Do you even know what you're up against? What type of Pokémon Fantina uses?'

'Fanti-?'

'The Hearthome Gym Leader.' snapped Pearl. 'She's a user of ghost and dark Pokémon.'

'Not more ghosts…' he groaned.

'None of your Pokémon have advantages against either of her types, and the Pokémon who are categorized as both ghost and dark have no weaknesses.' she explained, her devilish tone suggesting she was enjoying describing the difficulties he would face. 'Can you handle that?'

Nick looked to his Pokémon with an unsure crinkle of his nose. Elekid punched its fists together and crackled, Shellder frowned and ice particles glistened on its horns and Nosepass jumped a few inches from the ground, making the room shake as it landed. They were eager; their spirit ignited a fire in their trainer's heart and he nodded supportively to them as he returned them to their Pokéballs.

'Yes, I… no, _we_ can handle that.' he smirked at Pearl. 'Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to dry myself off.'

She glowered at him and walked away, firmly shutting – but not exactly slamming – the door behind her.

_I'll need to register for the Pokémon League tomorrow morning too_, he remembered as he put on some nightwear and climbed into bed as the orange and purple became black.

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He found the Gym Management Centre with ease the next morning – it was right beside the gym itself, which was signposted through the warm city streets. It was not dissimilar to the gym; a domed building with a thick, dark glass roof, but much smaller than its next door neighbour. A signpost outside advertised it as the place for trainers to enter themselves in the Sinnoh League. He looked at it, his stomach, for some reason, feeling as strange as it did when he looked into Gardenia's eyes. Pearl stood nonchalantly by his side, browsing her Pokédex entries.

'Coming in?' he asked nervously.

'No,' she replied, putting the device in her pocket, 'I'll go check out the gym and meet you in there.'

'Oh… okay.' he agreed, wishing that someone would accompany him into such an official, important situation. He stalled for a few moments as she walked away before taking a deep breath and entering, not knowing what to expect of the registration process. The sliding doors parted to reveal nothing but a spacious, red-carpeted room with pale walls decorated with portraits of gym leaders. They instantly caught his attention and he looked at each one: Cain was sitting on a rock, a stream flowing by his apathetic persona; Flannery stood surrounded by candles and soft lights; Olive – or Gardenia – was perched in a tree, holding a flower and looking to the sky. The rest were leaders who had since moved to other regions or retired. Only one other interested him – the one labelled _Fantina – The Alluring, Soulful Dancer_ on a gold plaque. Her beauty was striking; older than the fire- and grass-type trainers, but dressed elegantly in a haunting purple dress, white gloves adorning her long, delicate arms that were pale but not unhealthy. He trembled with excitement at the prospect of a battle with her.

'Can I help you?'

He looked to the source of the nasally question; a skinny girl with a strange accent had appeared behind a counter, her jet-black hair tied back tightly.

'Oh, I want to…'

'Sign up for the League?' she finished, 'Take a form, fill it in, hand it back.'

He slowly approached her and picked up a sheet from the pile the woman was motioning at. She had looked away to a computer; it seemed she could not care less if he was there or not. He took a seat in a plush, velvet chair and filled in the form in his urgent-but-neat handwriting:

**SINNOH LEAGUE REGISTRATION FORM**

**NAME:** _Nick Azalea_  
**AGE:** _16_  
**GENDER:** _Male_

**HOMETOWN:** _Twinleaf Town, West Sinnoh_

**CURRENT POKÉMON:** _Elekid, Nosepass, Shellder_  
**LEADERS DEFEATED PRIOR TO REGISTRATION (IF ANY) AND LOCATION:** _Cain (Oreburgh), Flannery (Mauheru), Gardenia (Eterna)_.

The rest of the form was labelled as being for office use. He timidly got to his feet and handed the sheet of paper back to the woman he did not particularly like. Without speaking, she snatched it from him, wrote hurriedly on the blank fields, then placed it in a drawer underneath where she sat. From the same space, she withdrew a camera-like device.

'Say cheese.'

Before he could react, he was blinded by a flash and, moments later, an unflattering picture of his face appeared on the computer screen. She then handed him a small business-like card on which she had scrawled his name and some sort of code.

'Okay, you're now entered in the Sinnoh League.' she stated firmly. 'The next tournament will be sometime next year and, if you have at least eight gym badges by then, you will be eligible to compete.'

'Thanks… What's this code for?' he asked.

'It's just your identification number. You'll need it when you arrive on Victory Island, where the competition is held.'

He took a moment to enter his ID on the Pokétch before slipping the card into his back pocket. He turned and left, smiling at the woman as he went, but, again, she wasn't looking.

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He found Pearl standing outside the gym.

'I've got some good news for you.'

'What?' he replied, smiling.

'You can't get defeated by Fantina today. She's out of town and the gym is closed.'

His heart sank and his smile dropped. Looking to the gym, he saw a notice on the door confirming the leader's absence but giving no explanation as to where she had went.

'But… I need the badge…'

'Well, it's not happening anytime soon.' she sighed. 'You could always go to Woodsthrone and challenge their leader instead.'

He stood in a disappointed silence before eventually shrugging his shoulders and nodding.

'I suppose so.'

'Let's go to the display of evolutionary items.' she commanded and, with heavy footsteps, he followed her through the city.

The heavy doors of the church were open and they walked in. Nick was cautious but Pearl was collected. The inside room was huge, with countless wooden pews leading up to a magnificent marble altar. The stained glass window lent a spectrum of beautiful light to the room, the image in the centre resembling Mount Coronet. Two long, purple draped hung at either side of it, one depicting a bipedal dragon-like figure, the other showing a similar form but standing on four legs with a long neck. Several people were already sitting at the front of the room, with many more standing at the outsides of the room. Upon a long table sat a series of items, some remarkable-looking, some looking like nothing more than trash. They followed the aisle.

'It's like we're getting married.' joked Nick. She shot him a murderous glance; it was either because he had spoken aloud in such a hallowed place, or because he had suggested that they had shared any kind of bond. They took seats on the front pew. Moments later, a tall, balding man in a checkered shirt appeared from the crowd and stood beside the objects.

'Welcome one and all. Thank you for coming.' He began in a formal but friendly voice. 'My name is Leo. Today we will exhibit the items that cause certain – sometimes specific – Pokémon to evolve. We also have some live examples of such Pokémon, brought along by our esteemed trainer guests.'

He raised a hand to the four individuals standing by the wall: one was a short, pretty girl; one was a rotund, bearded man with tattooed arms; the next was the oldest, a grey-haired but clever-looing woman; the last was a mysterious man who wore a long, black trench coat and similar hat, round sunglasses concealing his eyes. All but the black-clad man smiled politely and nodded as the crowd turned to look at them.

'Pokémon evolve due to many different circumstances,' continued Leo, faces turning back to him, 'Most grow through time and experience, but some require the aid of items, surroundings, and even other factors…'

The man continued for a while and Nick listened intently. Eventually, their host called up the young girl.

'Sarah here is going to help us demonstrate a live Pokémon evolution using these.' he smiled, picking up shining stones of various colours. 'These are water, fire and thunder stones, capable of making Pokémon of those types evolve on contact. Sarah, if you will…'

The girl nodded and threw a Pokéball into the air. In a flash, a small, cute canine-like creature with a fluffy mane appeared.

'Now, this Pokémon, Eevee, is of the normal-type,' lectured Leo as the trainer lifted the animal, 'But it holds the distinction of being able to evolve into seven different Pokémon, three of which are the result of these elemental stones.'

Nick looked on excitedly; he was about to see a second evolution in two days. He glanced to Pearl, whose stare did not leave the Eevee.

'And now,' continued Leo, knowing he had the audience in the palm of his hand, 'Which of the stones will you use, Sarah?'

The young girl looked to Eevee and smiled. It smiled back at her.

'The thunder stone.' she said with a charming giggle. Lifting the yellow rock from Leo's hand, she looked at it for a moment before holding it against Eevee's cheek. At first, nothing happened, but then the little Pokémon closed its eyes and dazzling light surrounded it as it leapt from its trainer's arms. Moments later, a similar-looking creature stood in its place, only now with yellow fur that spiked out like lightning bolts. Nick excitedly took out his Pokédex:

'Jolteon, the Lightning Pokémon. One of the seven possible evolutions of Eevee, it uses electricity to make its sharp fur stand on end, which it can then launch as missiles.'

_I guess you get Flareon if you use the fire stone_, he thought, remembering his battle with Flannery.

'Thank you.' grinned Leo. Nick looked up to find all eyes on him; the Pokédex had been louder than he had thought. He laughed nervously. Sarah looked overjoyed as she hugged her newly-evolved pet, and together they took a seat.

'Next up,' he began again, 'We would like to demonstrate the Dragon Scale.'

As he held up a large, sharp, light-blue scale, the tough-looking tattooed man approached him and released a tall, powerful-looking seahorse creature from a Pokéball.

'The Dragon Scale, when given to Seadra, induces evolution,' explained the bearded trainer, 'The result… Kingdra. It has the power to create tornadoes at sea.'

There were approving murmurs and camera flashes between those in attendance. Nick kept the Pokédex open, recording the information. He thought back to his battle with Golding in Oreburgh and was glad he had faced off against Seadra and not this more sinister sea monster. The man recalled it and returned to his position by the wall.

'The next Pokémon is popular in professional battling,' grinned Leo. 'Imelda, if you would.'

The elderly woman joined the lecturer, a Pokéball in her hand. She was weatherbeaten but not frail. Nick sat forward slightly, intrigued as to what he might face at the Pokémon League one day.

'Please welcome our very special guest, Imelda, a retired member of the Elite Four.'

There was a round of applause that Nick apprehensively joined.

'Elite Four?' he whispered to Pearl.

'The top trainers in the region,' she explained, proud to show off her knowledge, 'Winners of the tournament go on to face them. If you win, you become a Champion.'

Nick looked back, clapping louder and for a few more seconds than everyone else. She lifted a shining, silver coil from the display table.

'The Metal Coat is a natural cuff of metal that will boost a steel-type Pokémon's attack power in battle,' began Imelda. Her voice was calm, but carried assurance of a worldly knowledge and expertise in competitive battling, 'However, when attached to the bug-type Scyther, it causes it to evolve into Scizor.'

No sooner had she announced the creature's name than the Pokéball that she was carrying opened and a tall Pokémon appeared. Its body was blood-red and looked as hard as steel, an intimidating, spiked head sitting on an almost-human but insect-looking body. Razor-sharp wings protruded from its back, and its long arms ended in huge pincers that looked like scary faces themselves. There was a gasp from the audience, several of them sitting back in their chairs to increase their distance from it.

'Don't worry,' grinned Imelda, 'It won't hurt you unless I tell it to.'

She looked at the terrified crowd, who were now essentially at her mercy.

'Scizor is a dual bug- and steel-type Pokémon. Its claws are used to intimidate its foes into defencelessness before metal-strength offence powers up its signature attacks like X-Scissor.'

On these words, the creature sprang into motion. It leapt high into the air, crossed its arms and opened them to release a burning, cross-shaped wave of power. Cameras flashed and people moved a few more inches away. Pearl gazed longingly at it, its style and strength evidently having an impact on her. The demonstration of items continued, but only one trainer remained in the wings with a live example to show – the mysterious man. His chance to shine was announced when Leo carefully lifted a small red box, the inside of which smouldered and hissed.

'Our final guest of the evening, Mr. Sidian, is going to demonstrate a live evolution for us by using the Magmarizer to make his Magmar turn into Magmortar.'

Mr. Sidian approached the front of the room in silence and, in a blaze of flame, released the brightly-coloured fire-type. He stood looking at the audience, saying nothing, his eyes completely hidden in darkness.

'…If you would?' smiled Leo, hinting that it should have been obvious that the black-clad man could begin anytime. A few more moments of silence passed before Mr. Sidian spoke softly.

'Smog.'

Instantly, Magmar spat out a cloud of thick, black smoke that grew rapidly and, within seconds, filled the entire room.

'What's going on?' spluttered Nick, trying to get to his feet but blinded for the second time today by the burning smog.

'He's… a thief!' cried Pearl, coughing in pain.

The panic and confusion went on for several minutes before the cloud of filth was lifted by a sudden gust. Visibility regained, they saw that Kingdra had used its Twister attack to dissipate that of Magmar. There were gasps and cries of anger as everyone noticed the table of evolutionary items had been completely cleared and Mr. Sidian nowhere to be seen.

'He took the items!' bellowed Leo, now quite intimidating, 'The precious items! Gone!'

'Let's go after him!' growled Pearl, pushing Nick to his feet angrily.

'Wait, be careful! You don't know what he's capable of!' called Sarah, her Jolteon snarling. Leo, Imelda and the beard-wearer agreed and raised warning hands as they stepped towards the trainers but, before anyone could stop them, Nick and Pearl had dashed out the church doors, their series of all-too-often acts of heroism increasing by one as they chased the thief.


	16. Skorupi: The Scorpion Scoundrel Scandal!

Layers of cold sweat had built on Nick's face by the time they reached the path leaving Hearthome City. They had followed Mr. Sidian and, after almost losing him in the now-busy streets, the thief had led them to this wooded area that ran by a still lake just visible through rich trees. He had leapt into a truck and began tearing down the dusty trail as the panting heroes approached.

'He's… getting away…' gasped Nick as the debris met his lungs.

'Go… Kirlia…' wheezed Pearl in reply, 'Disable.'

Her newly-evolved Pokémon appeared and instantly began to glow with a blue aura. Moments later, this same force surrounded the distant vehicle, which came to a juddering halt. The tyres writhed furiously but refused to turn, its grey, mud-coated sides rattling.

'What the…?' growled Mr. Sidian. In a rage, he jumped over his seat and pulled himself onto the back of the stationary truck and glared at the trainers.

'Give us back the stuff you stole!' bellowed Nick, finding his voice again.

'When Team Obsidia are gonna pay me so much for 'em? No way!' replied the crook. This was the first time they had heard him speak; he possessed a rasping voice and spoke in slang tones. He removed his sunglasses to reveal beady brown eyes

'I might have guessed you were working for those slimeballs!' spat Pearl, 'You had no right to take those stones and items!'

'If you kids wanna fight for 'em, I'll give it to ya good!'

He dropped two Pokéballs from the top of the vehicle; from them emerged Magmar and a black, hound-like Pokémon with skeletal armour.

'What's that?' wondered Nick, opening his Pokédex.

'Houndour,' it answered, 'The Dark Pokémon. It is a cunning, nocturnal Pokémon that hunts in packs. It is capable of many dark- and fire-type attacks.'

The canine growled at them.

'Two fire-types.' said Pearl, looking to him. 'You know what to do.'

'Right!'

Two more bursts of light and the water-types Shellder and Prinplup appeared.

'Flamethrower, both of you!' cried their opponent. The two creatures raised their heads for a moment before spitting a burning rush of flames across the battlefield.

'Water Gun!' commanded Nick and Pearl in unison. Their allies released jets of water that dissolved the fiery attacks and drenched Magmar and Houndour. The former sank to its knees, while the latter dropped completely and lay motionless.

'You useless weaklings!' shrieked the man, taking off his hat to reveal thin, dark brown hair. 'Magmar, Fire Blast, and keep 'em coming!'

The brightly-coloured Pokemon struggled to its feet and spat out several star-shaped walls of flame. The water-types instinctively avoided the attacks, diving through the gaps and leaping to the side of the fire.

'Shellder, use Bubblebeam!' cried Nick after his quick-moving partner.

'Prinplup, you use Brine!'

Nick looked on as Magmar was hit by a flurry of scalding bubbles before Prinplup, with a flap of its wings, brought needle-sharp drops of rain down on it. He had never really seen her battle with the Pokémon before and was impressed by its prowess.

'Would you like to do the honours?' she said, apathetically. This was essentially the friendliest that she ever got.

'With pleasure,' he grinned, 'Shellder! Tackle!'

The little bivalve Pokémon propelled itself forward and slammed into the weakened Magmar. The fire-type flew back and crashed into the truck, which shook and threw Mr. Sidian from the roof. He crumpled in pile by his two defeated monsters.

'Wailmer, pin them!' shouted Pearl, throwing another ball forward. The colossal whale creature appeared, giggled, and rolled onto the villain, its powerful fin holding him firmly against the ground.

'Good job, Wailmer.' she congratulated formally.

'Whaaaaaae!' it whined with a toothy grin. Nick glanced at her to see a soundless, fleeting giggle leave her lips. This Pokémon always seemed to have this effect on the normally conservative girl.

'What a performance!' came a voice from behind them. Spinning on their heels, they saw Leo, Imelda and two police officers approaching at speed. It had been Imelda who spoke.

'Thanks!' grinned Nick, blushing.

'Why, it was a battle worthy of the Pokémon League.' finished the old woman.

'I'm trying to enter the League!' he chirped back, excitement rising inside him, 'I have three badges so far.'

'And with a battle style like that, I'm not surprised.' she beamed back. Pearl tutted and turned away and, realising the young girl felt left out, Imelda congratulated her too. Pearl simply nodded in return and turned back to Wailmer, who was still sat on the dazed Mr. Sidian.

'Thanks so much for helping us.' smiled Leo, patting Nick firmly on the back. 'I'm sorry, but I didn't catch your names back at the church…'

'Oh!' exclaimed Nick, realising this was true, 'I'm Nick, and this is Pearl.'

'Well, thank you, Nick and Pearl. Those goods are too rare to be stolen by the likes of him.'

'We were happy to do it,' replied the boy, 'He was working for Team Obsidia, and we've had too many bad experiences with those goons.'

One police officer, a dark-haired woman, pulled Mr. Sidian to his feet and ordered him to recall his Pokémon, which he did. She then clicked handcuffs into place around his wrists as her colleague came out of the truck carrying the worn sack of stolen evolutionary items.

'I'd like to give you both something for your efforts.' continued Leo, taking the bag from the officer and reaching inside. Pearl, now intrigued, stepped over and stood beside Nick as the man removed two stones. One was as dark as coal but shone with a black light while the other was a bright white colour and sparkled like a diamond.

'These are Dawn and Dusk Stones,' explained Leo, his smile now more formal, 'They can be used to evolve certain Pokémon.'

He looked down at Kirlia and then to Pearl, whose eyes moved away in thought, before handing her the Dawn Stone. Nick cautiously lifted the Dusk Stone from Leo's other hand. They stood in a curious silence for a few moments before the gruff voice of Mr. Sidian stirred the calm.

'Team Obsidia ain't gonna be happy with you brats.'

'They weren't happy with us anyway, so we're not worried. Enjoy your time in jail.' fired back Pearl instantly, without even looking at the man. Nick couldn't help but grin at her as he tucked his new item into his backpack. He stood enjoying the victorious silence for a few moments before asking the Hearthome residents a burning question:

'When will Fantina be back? I want to challenge her to a battle.'

'Oh, who knows…' sighed Leo instantly, 'She's done this before. The Pokémon League is too lenient with Leaders sometimes… they can pretty much do whatever they like, even if it inconveniences trainers, and get away with it.'

Nick was crestfallen; he had hoped she had left town for a night and would be back tomorrow, taking on all challengers.

'I think your best bet is to go to Woodsthrone and challenge Ant.' suggested Imelda. 'He uses bug-types, like myself.'

Nick thought for a moment.

'So I would have an advantage if I used… a rock-type?'

'Correct.' she nodded. 'Impressive knowledge – but it will take more than a type advantage to defeat him. He's been a leader for some time.'

'But Gardenia told me the Woodsthrone Gym only opened recently!' blurted Nick. Deep down, he was hoping that the gym being new meant that the leader would be inexperienced and easy to beat.

'It did,' grinned Imelda, 'But Ant was a leader in another region for a long time before moving here. In fact, he trained under me… my star pupil. Perhaps the finest Leader in Sinnoh just now.'

Nick looked from the old woman's face to the sky. A flock of Starly flew overhead, visible only as black silhouettes against the sun and clouds.

'Woodsthrone is further down this very road.' offered Leo, hoisting the sack over his shoulder and pointing south. He then followed Imelda, the police officers and the apprehended villain back towards the city.

'Shall we go there then?' he smiled, turning to Pearl. She was still stony-faced.

'You can,' she sniffed, 'I'm going back to Hearthome to watch contests, then head to Canalave City.'

'You mean you aren't coming…?' he stammered, unsure of what he was trying to say. He was somehow taken aback at the fact they were parting ways, but the truth was that they had never agreed to travel together; their whole journey since Eterna City had essentially been a series of coincidences.

'Watching the contests will help my Pokédex to no end, as will visiting the islands around Canalave.'

'Well, uh… bye?' replied Nick.

'Right.'

And, with that, she spun on her heel and walked away, Prinplup, Kirlia and Wailmer waddling, floating and bouncing by her sides. Nick watched the dark-haired girl move further and further away, still unsure if he liked or couldn't stand her, before slowly turning and contemplating the wide, green road before him.

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The area was beautiful. The black lake's surface was not marred with any reflections and various types of trees stood overlooking the peaceful water. Not a soul disrupted the peace; no travelling trainers but him were going this way, nor did he see any wild Pokémon. This fact did not please him. Feeling isolated, he released his oldest companion, Elekid. It appeared with a smile.

'How are you?' the trainer smiled.

'Elek!' it replied.

'Are you enjoying our journey so far?'

The creature nodded and its antennae shot out some sparks. They walked a little further before Nick realised that this was the first time he had been alone with Elekid since discovering it used to belong to Team Obsidia. He looked down at his electric companion; apart from the cruel marking imprinted on it, it did not seem to be suffering from any lingering stress. He smiled lovingly as it marched along beside him. Suddenly, however, it stopped and looked ahead with an expression that suggested neither happiness nor anger. Looking up, Nick's eyes met those of a familiar face.

'Well, look-ee here!' grinned Jay. His friendly rival's hair seemed to have turned a more golden blond in the warm sunlight.

'Jay! Hi!' laughed Nick, jogging forward and shaking hands with the other boy. 'How have you been? And what are you doing here?'

'Oh, fine,' replied Jay, unzipping his jacket and displaying the inside to reveal two badges, 'I defeated Flannery, and then I went to Hearthome and challenged Fantina but she's ruthlessly strong…'

'You managed to battle her?' gasped Nick, 'She's not around anymore.'

'Hmm… she did seem quite impatient during our battle…' replied Jay, 'As though she… had to be somewhere urgently.'

Jay's eyes landed on Elekid, and he smiled.

'So are you heading for Woodsthrone too?' smiled Nick, hoping he would say yes.

'Yeah, I'm going to challenge Ant,' nodded Jay, 'His bugs should be no match for my new Pokémon.'

Before Nick could ask what this new Pokémon was, Jay pointed a Pokéball at the air and it opened. A huge bird creature flew upwards emitting a piercing, metallic screech, its steel-coated wings gleaming in the sun. It circled overhead before landing beside its trainer, unsettling, yellow eyes scanning its surroundings.

'Its name is Skarmory,' began Jay, glowing with pride, 'It's a steel- and flying-type, and it's really strong.'

'It sure looks it…' muttered Nick, admiring the bird but trying not to make eye contact with it.

'I can sit on its back while it flies too!' chirped the other trainer, his proud tone starting to grate, 'It's some ride. I could use it to get around Sinnoh easily, but where's the fun in that? I wouldn't be able to bump into rookies like you!'

'Hey!' moaned Nick, 'I'm not a rookie anymore.'

'Oh yeah?'

'I have three badges and I caught a Shellder.' he beamed, lifting his head slightly. Jay looked back at him, uncertainty etched in his face, before grinning again.

'Beginner's luck, I guess.'

Nick seethed inside.

'Anyway old pal, why don't we get going? That badge isn't gonna win itself!' laughed Jay, and started walking again. One side of Nick's mouth raised into a smile, and he rolled his eyes before following his friendly foe.

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Woodsthrone was a quaint town, several times smaller than Hearthome and lacking that city's luxuries and landmarks. It seemed new and inexperienced in the ways of the world; its lumber houses and shops might have just been quickly constructed as the two trainers were on their way there. A path of red- and white-striped canopies hung above rows of baskets and wooden shelves lined with fruit and other groceries and merchandise. Horse-like Pokémon with manes of fire pulled carts upon which strangely-dressed men and women sat along the cement-less street.

'Did we go back in time?' snorted Jay, surveying the scene and wrinkling his face. Nick let out a small laugh, but he was just as taken aback by this town's anachronistic appearance.

'I can't believe this town has a gym,' continued Jay, 'It doesn't even look like it has electricity…'

'Hey, I heard that!' came a snapping voice from across the road. Turning, they saw a short, younger boy, freckles adorning a pale face that was squeezed into a worn wide-brimmed hat. He approached them, his snarling face more amusing than intimidating, 'We got electricity here! We just worked hard and built this town for ourselves, not like you city-slickers with your fashionable clothes and Pokétches…'

Nick was trying to refrain from laughing at the pitying expression etched on Jay's face as the little boy continued his tirade, but a scream from nearby interrupted the discussion.

'Eeeeek! It's back, it's back!' cried a woman, pointing at the roof of a store.

The three boys looked to where she was pointing and saw a strange beast. It was short, but still seemed to strike fear into the residents of Woodsthrone, several of whom ran indoors or backed away. It was insect-like; a segmented tail that ended in a claw protruded from its rear, while elongated, devilish eyes peered from between two sharp arms, four little legs twitching restlessly as it looked down on the scene from its perch.

'What's that?' asked Nick, not taking his eyes from it.

'I've never seen one before.' shrugged Jay. 'Ask your Pokédex.'

Complying, Nick listened to the machine's description:

'Skorupi, the Scorpion Pokémon. Usually found in deserts, it leaps from beneath the sand and injects its prey with poison from its strong tail.'

'That thing's been terrorising this town for days!' exclaimed the young boy, forgetting their feud for a moment.

They watched as the Skorupi let out a rasping cry that sounded suspiciously like laughter before jumping onto the canopy below, which collapsed and slammed against the wall, knocking over brooms, vases and other objects. It then dashed along the canopies of the different buildings as enraged men threw stones at it and poked rakes through the canvasses, destroying their own property in anger. The scorpion was too quick, making it to the end of the now-dilapidated street before leaping down and grabbing an orange from a stall and biting it with glee. Moments later, the townsfolk dashed at it, only for it to roll the fruit forward – causing one man to slip and fall – and burrow underground. It emerged from beneath the crowd, making the rest of them stumble, before disappearing back under the earth and out of sight.

'Wow…' murmured Jay.

'Not again!' squealed the youngster, 'It keeps wrecking everything and no one can ever catch it!'

'Why don't you just defeat it in a Pokémon battle?' asked Jay in a patronising tone.

'Because only a few people in town own Pokémon and none of them are good enough to stop it!' bellowed the boy. His voice was getting increasingly irritating. Even my little Pokémon can't do it…'

'Your Pokémon?' asked Nick curiously.

'Uh-huh,' nodded the boy as he withdrew a Pokéball and dropped it on the ground. It opened and, in a flash, a small tree-like animal appeared.

'A Bonsly!' exclaimed Jay excitedly, forgetting the seriousness of the situation for a moment.

'Bonsly is my best friend,' beamed the boy for a moment, before his smile faded, 'But the Skorupi is too fast to attack. Isn't that right?'

He looked down to his Pokémon. Its eyes began to water before a gush of tears erupted from them, a high-pitched wail more annoying than its trainers rattling their eardrums.

'You think we can catch that thing?' yelled Jay over the din, covering his ears.

'It's worth a shot to get Bonsly to stop crying!' replied Nick.

'You city folk will help us?' asked the boy, looking up at them from his Pokémon's side.

'We can try, but we'll need to hatch a plan.' mumbled Jay.

'Shouldn't we be going to the gym?' interjected Nick. He could see the large building several blocks away and would much rather be going there than battling some wild pest.

'Nah, come on, this will be fun!' laughed Jay.

_I guess it's for the good of the town…_ thought Nick, remembering what a good trainer should be like.

'Let's think of a plan at my house!' yelped the boy excitedly, 'Come on, it's this way! Oh, and, by the way, I'm Ricky.'

The two city-slickers introduced themselves and followed the boy down the street that disgruntled men and women were now repairing, cursing the scorpion scoundrel under their breaths.

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'Who are your friends, Ricky?' asked the boy's mother as they stepped into the small but comfortable, and altogether charming, house. A small model of a Starly popped from a clock and indicated, in a pleasant chime, that it was 3 o' clock.  
'This is Nick, and this is Jay,' announced Ricky, beaming, 'They're trainers, and they're gonna get rid of the Skorupi for us!'  
Ricky's moustachioed father appeared from behind a newspaper.  
'You reckon? No one in town's managed to catch that beast, what makes you think you can?' he asked in a gruff voice.  
'Our incredibly strong Pokémon.' huffed Jay. Nick suppressed another grin.  
'Dear, be polite!' snapped the wife at the husband, and he retired to his black and white articles once again. 'Can I fix you something to eat? You'll need your strength if you're going to battle that Skorupi. It's ruined and stolen so much of the shopkeepers' merchandise.'  
'That'd be great.' replied Jay, answering for them.  
Smiling courteously to the woman as she approached the kitchen, they followed Ricky upstairs. The ascending wall was lined with pictures of the family, the topmost one showing a tiny Bonsly popping out of a gift-wrapped box much to the surprise of a younger Ricky.  
'Was your Bonsly a present?' asked Nick politely.  
'Yeah, I got it for my birthday a few years ago.' replied Ricky over his shoulder.  
'Maybe one day it will evolve into a Sudowoodo.' smiled Jay.  
'But I like it the way it is, I don't want it to evolve!' spat the little boy, patting Bonsly on the head as they walked through the white wooden door and into his small bedroom. It was liberally furnished with several wooden chests, desks and wardrobes that matched the lumber of which the house was made. Ricky leapt onto the pillow-strewn bed with Bonsly while Jay sat on a wooden chair. Nick looked for another place to sit and discovered that the floor was the only remaining option.  
'So, when does the Skorupi appear?' asked Jay. Ricky looked up in thought.  
'It usually appears in the afternoon like it did today, but there's always a mess in the morning too, so it must come out during the night when no one is around.'  
'Well, we should try to catch it tonight then. We'll wait up for it.' decided Jay. 'Does it always do the same the thing that it did today?'  
'Yeah,' replied Ricky with sunken eyes, 'It always runs along the rooftops and wrecks the same shops.'  
They sat in silence for a few moments as Jay stroked his chin in thought. A smile slowly crept up his cheeks.  
'I think I know what to do.' he said softly, standing up and looking out the window.  
'What?' asked Nick.  
'I'll explain later. For now, we'll need to play the waiting game.'  
Before they could probe him further, the door swung open and Ricky's mother stood holding a tray of sandwiches and soup that was even warmer than her welcome.

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A half-moon crept from behind blue clouds and cast a gaze down on the empty wooden town. The now-tidied street was bathed in a bright twilight as Nick peered out from behind the barrel he hid behind. They had formed a plan, and he was trembling with excitement and hope that it would work. Jay was stationed at the other end of the street, and Ricky had concealed himself in the shadows of an alley like a dark-type Pokémon. They just had to keep their eyes focused for Skorupi appearing on the rooftops. He clutched his two remaining Pokéballs tightly – his third Pokémon was also waiting in ambush for when the scorpion arrived. A long time passed, in which his head nodded with micro-sleeps and doubt filled his mind. Maybe it was a waste of time...

And then it appeared.

The purple creature crept as soundly as the moon had, over the top of the same roof on which they had seen it earlier, and crawled down, perching itself on the drain. It began to drank rainwater until Jay set the plan in motion.

'Hey! It's you again! Get out of here!'

Skorupi looked down as Jay came running at it with a stick, chasing it. It let out the same laugh and began to run along the canopies. Nick looked anxiously.

_Any minute now…_

Skorupi leapt towards the canopy that they had rigged. Ricky pulled tightly at the rope attached to it and it immediately fell flat against the wall for the second time that day. The creature, confused, fell straight to the ground, surprised, and landed with a thump. Before it had righted itself, Skarmory swooped down and tackled it with its steel wing, knocking it into the wall of the house – they had informed the owner this might happen – and bouncing out into the middle of the road. Sensing a worthy opponent, it began burrowing into the dirt. This was Nick's cue.

'Nosepass, now!'

The rock-type suddenly sprang up from under the ground where Skorupi had been digging and caused a small tremor that shook the bug-type back to the surface. Now severely agitated, it stuck its tail high in the air and clicked its pincers together, ready to battle.

'Nosepass, Stone Edge!'

The jagged stones flew at Skorupi, but the agile insect avoided them, bounced off of the last one thrown and let loose a spray of shining, poison barbs that stuck into Nosepass' nose.

'Whoa!' exclaimed Nick, taking a step back in fright, 'What was that?'

'Skorupi's Pin Missle attack,' explained the Pokédex from his pocket, 'A bug-type move that inflicts the damage of several attacks at once.'

By the time Nick had comprehended this, their opponent had slammed Nosepass with its sharp tail, knocking the rock-type onto its back and out of battle. Nick recalled it, frustrated.

'Now it's my turn!' grinned Jay, running closer, 'Skarmory, Steel Wing!'  
The metal bird came zooming down again with a screech, its wings white-hot, only for Skorupi to quickly jump and sink its pincers into the bird's neck. The steel-type squawked and fell to the ground, dazed.

'It hurt Skarmory even though it's a poison-type! That thing is… unreal!' gasped Jay, recalling his Pokémon as Skorupi danced gleefully in success.

Nick sent out Shellder.

'Okay, Shellder, use Icicle Spear and finish it!'  
The bivalve creature's horns glowed and several freezing spears shot at the foe. Skorupi countered by releasing another blast of pins that smashed through the icicles and lodged into Shellder's shell. The water-type had closed its shell so that its inner body did not take any damage.

'Try a Water Gun!' yelled Nick, growing frustrated at this little Pokémon's power.  
Shellder opened its shell and shot a gush of water. The scorpion took the hit and flew backwards, before regaining its balance, leaping high into the air, and falling onto Nick's Pokémon with a vicious couple of slashes from its tail. Despite only its shell being hit, the water creature felt the pain and rolled several feet back.

'No way! It knows Cross Poison!' exclaimed Jay, sounding half concerned and half excited.

'Cross Poison?' asked Nick, a cold sweat now sticking to his face.

'It's a powerful poison-type move…' explained the other boy, 'Not many Pokémon can learn it, and I certainly didn't think a wild creature would be capable of knowing it. This Skorupi is something else!'

'Please get rid of it!' bawled Ricky, who had remained quiet until now, in awe of the battle.

Nick pointed his Pokéball at Shellder and it was pulled inside in a flash. Now he only had Elekid remaining. With worry growing at an insurmountable rate inside, he released the electric-type.

'El!' it crackled, locking eyes with Skorupi. It could evidently sense how much of a threat the scorpion monster was.

'Thundershock, now!'

The bolt of lightning missed Skorupi by inches as it leapt backwards and launched another Pin Missile.

'Dodge it, now!' cried Nick, tears of stress and determination now forming in his eyes.

Elekid did not move from the spot as the attack came closer, but then raised its hands and a strange shield of pulsating light appeared in front of it. The pins hit this cover and dissolved instantly.

'Hmm?' he wondered, lifting out his Pokédex.

'Elekid's Light Screen prevents or reduces damage received from enemy attacks.'

Nick looked to his Pokémon.

'That's great Elekid! Keep it up, and go use Thunderpunch!'

The electric-type growled and ran towards Skorupi. The scorpion gritted its teeth and continued shoot missiles, all of them being destroyed by Light Screen. Elekid suddenly sprang forward and landed a lightning-hot punch on the target. The poison-type's body jolted excessively as it flew into the air, before crashing down in the dirt. It hissed slowly, trying to stand up. Adrenaline replacing the fear in him, Nick reached into his pocket and took something out.

'Pokéball, go!'

The ball flew through the air and rattled off of Skorupi's tail. It seemed to hover in mid-air for a moment before opening and sucking the creature inside in a red flash. The three trainers watched in trepidation as the ball slowly rocked to and fro, and all breathed a sigh of relief when the light on it went out and it sat still in the dust.

'You did it!' exclaimed Jay, before regaining his cool, 'Uh, not bad for a rookie I guess.'

Nick was not listening to his deluded words as he stepped forward and picked up the ball, caressing it in his sweaty hand. Would this rebellious creature listen to him?

'He did it! It's gone!' came a voice.

He looked up to see several people running out of their houses, their faces bright with smiles, before hands from behind began to pat him on the back. A crowd quickly gathered around him. They had obviously been woken up by the commotion and had been watching the battle.

'Nice work, son.' laughed an old man gruffly. 'You've done this town a huge favour!'

'Yes, now we can work in peace!' smiled a shopwoman.  
He listened to more of their thanks and nodded courteously before approaching Jay and Ricky.

'Thanks!' chirped the youngest boy, 'That Pokémon was nothing but a nuisance. Good riddance.'

Nick found himself offended by this remark. Skorupi may have angered people, but it was now his Pokémon, and he did not like to hear someone talk this way about it.

'Now Ricky,' came his mother's voice as she and his father appeared, 'I'm sure Nick will do a fine job raising Skorupi. No Pokémon is a lost cause.'

Nick smiled at these words and decided not to voice his dislike of Ricky's tone. He looked to Jay and, for a moment, caught him gazing longingly at the newly-occupied Pokéball before quickly looking up to Nick and grinning nervously.

'Well, I bet you boys wouldn't say no to a midnight snack!' laughed Ricky's mother softly as they followed her back to the house. The assembled townsfolk smiled admiringly at Nick, but not as admiringly as the trainer smiled at the ball that held his powerful new companion.

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'Sir?' asked the young man.

'What is it? I'm busy.' snapped the red-haired older man, looking up from the desk at which he sat. The darkness that hung in the room partly concealed his scarred face.

'It's that guy who was meant to bring the evolutionary items. He's… been arrested…' explained the Team Obsidia grunt timidly.

'Pathetic.' replied the man softly.

'It was… the same kids who stopped us in Oreburgh, Mauheru Town and in Wayward Cave…' continued the grunt. He was terrified that the man's anger at this news would be inflicted upon him.

'What?' came the reply, 'Why do you useless punks continually lose to children? That goes for Golding too.'

Something was lurking in the corner of the room. Eyes glinted as it moved stealthily in the shadows. The grunt gulped; he had not even been a part of any of the failed missions, yet he had been sent to take the blame from the boss.

'We thought they were… gone, after their last battle with Admin Golding.'

'Well they obviously weren't, were they?' came a snarl.

'They… seem to possess skills that none of our members do, Sir.'

He was worried this would anger his leader further, but the man sat back in his chair, eyes calmly closed.

'Well soon we will have something that they don't. That nobody does.'

There was a brief, uneasy silence.

'The cloning process, Sir?' asked the grunt. He feared that he was asking questions that were not his business, but the boss immediately replied, as though proud or excited to discuss the matter.

'Several of them are now growing exponentially,' he answered, leaning forward on his desk, 'And Professor Synn informs me that there is a good chance that at least one will fully develop. Then… we will effectively run Sinnoh, like we deserve to.'

The grunt looked to the ground.

'I want those children taken care of. I'd hate for them to have to suffer at my own hands should they continue to foil us.'

'Yes, Sir,' replied the grunt, looking up, eager to leave the shadowy room, 'I will inform Admin Golding.'

With a respectful nod, he turned and walked out the room with haste. The man turned his head to a large screen to his right and pressed a button on a handset. A view of the laboratory downstairs appeared, the camera centring on the life-form suspended in the green fluid. It had grown even since the previous day, a tiny figure now discernible.

'Hmm.'

The beast in the corner of the room moved again.


	17. Eggs and Balloons

They left Ricky's house the next afternoon after being fed by his exceptionally hospitable mother yet again. Shaking hands with the young boy, they stepped out into the street and headed towards the Woodsthrone Gym under a cloud-covered sky, a cold-but-refreshing wind gently blowing through the circle of trees that sheltered the town. They did not speak until they passed the last house at the edge of town and their feet met the road that led to the building where Nick's fourth badge was waiting.

'I still think that town's weird.' admitted Jay a few steps out of its boundary.

'A little… but they're good people.' smiled Nick. 'Plus, I got something out of it.'

'Yeah, you did…' muttered Jay, a hint of jealousy in his voice.

They walked a little further and the gym came into a clearer view between the crowded trees.

'So, which of us is going to challenge Ant first?' asked Nick.

Jay looked to the ground in thought for a moment.

'Maybe we should wait and see which of us he wants to challenge. I don't mind, really.'

'Me neither!' replied Nick, happy that there was no conflict regarding the matter. He had thought that Jay would have been eager to defeat the Leader first to catch up with him.

He had spoken to his mother on the telephone before leaving the house. She seemed happier, but still with a tone of exhaustion in her voice. He had told her about his new Pokémon and his accomplishments, and she told him she was proud and that they missed him. He missed them too and, occasionally, his thoughts drifted back to Twinleaf Town and the memories it held. He did not yearn to be home, however; he could not disappoint Professor Rowan by giving up on the Pokédex, and Elekid, Nosepass and Shellder depended on him now – Skorupi could probably have taken care of itself. He was eager to use his new team-mate in battle after seeing its capabilities the night before. These thoughts of home and away, as well as small-talk with Jay, occupied his mind until they reached the doors of the gym, only to discover that, like the one in Hearthome, it was closed, a sign in the window apologising for any inconvenience.

'Oh, no! You've got to be kidding me!' growled Jay, peering through the glass and into the darkness.

'Is there no one in there?' asked Nick, a shadow of disappointment across his face.

'Not a soul,' replied Jay quietly, shaking his head, 'And this notice doesn't say why, or when it will be open again. What's with the Sinnoh Leaders?'

He turned back to face Nick.

'I guess we should go to the next town.'

'Where's that?' asked Nick, tilting his head slightly.

Jay looked at his Pokétch and pressed a few buttons on its interface.

'Pastoria City. It's further along this road, to the East.' he answered. 'Flannery told me about the Gym Leader there. I can't remember his name, but he uses water-types.'

Nick looked to the East. Vast, marshy fields formed the road, with clusters of overgrown trees dotted across the landscape; it would surely be teeming with grass- and water-type Pokémon. Something else caught his eye, however; something high in the sky, far off in the distance. It was too far away to see clearly, but it looked like a balloon-like object drifting on the wind, with a small child hanging from its string.

'What is that?' asked Nick, turning to Jay. His rival was staring intently at it.

'I've no idea… It looks like a kid flying in the air…'

Without words, they started following the downhill path to their next destination, eager to find out more about this strange sight.

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Not too far away, Pearl sat under a tree on a country path, resting her head on Wailmer's massive body. She was flicking through the entries in her Pokédex, the screen displaying pictures of various creatures.  
'We saw over twenty new Pokémon at the Hearthome Contest,' she said proudly, 'The Professor will be pleased.'  
'Waiii!' the whale gurgled happily.  
Pearl smiled at her rotund friend and then turned to appreciate the long, care-free grass blowing in the wind. Mount Coronet looked down from afar, the river running past them surely originating from far up on its mysterious summit. She felt relaxed; only when she was alone with her Pokémon could she truly be herself. After a few more minutes of serenity, she stood up.  
'We'll go to Solaceon Town and see the Pokémon Ranch,' she told her partner, 'Then we'll head back West to Canalave City and try to go visit the steel-type Pokémon on Iron Island.'  
No sooner had they started walking than a young boy approached them, cradling a round object with both arms, his face smiling in joy.  
'Hey, are you a trainer?' he asked excitedly.

'Yes, why?'

The boy's spirits were not dampened by her stony reply.

'There's a guy at a stall further up this road and he's selling Pokémon eggs!' he exclaimed, 'Look, I got one!'

She looked at the egg in his arms.

'May I see that?'

'Well, I dunno…' replied the boy, 'My mommy says not to let strangers see my things in case they run off with them.'

'I won't steal it,' she said, half-smiling, 'Here, you can hold one of _my_ Pokémon.'

She offered him the Pokéball containing Kirlia. Warily, he held out the egg and grabbed hold of the ball before fully releasing it from his grip. He stared at it intently, while Pearl did the same to the egg. It was not warm like she knew an egg should be, and was covered in a multi-coloured, chalk-like substance.

'Did the man say what kind of Pokémon was inside?'

'Not really,' replied the boy, looking up from the Pokéball, 'He just said it was a really rare, powerful one! Maybe it's a legendary Pokémon, like Celebi, or Manaphy!'

Pearl suddenly looked at the boy, slightly taken aback that he knew of such creatures.

'I doubt a travelling salesman could ever capture those rare Pokémon.' she stated. She had read about them long ago; no trainer had ever caught them, and only few people around the world had encountered them. The boy looked slightly disappointed. She looked at the egg sceptically for a few more minutes before giving it back and taking back Kirlia. She noticed that her hands were now covered in the colourful dust.

'Well, see ya! I'm off to take care of my egg!' chirped the boy, running off towards Hearthome, clutching it tightly. She watched him go, her mind full of doubt, before turning to Wailmer.

'I don't think that is a Pokémon egg…' she affirmed, shaking her head and wiping her hands, 'Come on, Wailmer. We'd better check this out.'

They followed the well-trodden path that the child had come from for a short while, the river and clouds moving the same way. Turning a corner round a remarkably thick tree, they found what they had been told of. A tall, incredibly gaunt man stood behind a display of ramshackle, wooden shelves that were lined with what were supposedly Pokémon eggs. The man turned and caught Pearl's gaze. A thin smile spread across his face, which was more beaten than the road on which they stood. His thin, curling hair – or what there was of it – that rested on his shoulders blew slightly in the wind as he spoke in a foreign accent:

'Hello, friend of mine! I see you have Pokémon – I have what you are wanting!'

'You do?' she asked, not yet confronting him.

'Yes!' he beamed back, 'Eggs of rare Pokémon! Pokémon like you never did have seen! Price is very good, yes!'

Pearl wandered over and began to examine the eggs. They were all covered in different markings, but all of them looked as dubious as the one that she had seen earlier. Touching one, her hands were again dirtied by a substance. There were several gaps in the display; unfortunate trainers had obviously fell for the scam and purchased the ones that had sat there.

'You are interested, yes?' said the man hungrily, leaning on the tabletop.

'Yes.' she replied. 'I'm very interested in why you are selling fake eggs to trainers?'

The man jumped back in a ridiculously melodramatic fashion, trying to look shocked.

'Fake? N-No! These eggs, r-real they are! Bred from rare P-Pokémon!' he stammered nervously.

'What's in this one, then?' she asked, lifting up a crudely-painted purple egg.

'I say a rare Pokémon! P-Perhaps a Croagunk or a Wynaut or…'

_Crrrrrrrrrrack_.

Pearl squeezed the egg and it broke into several pieces, falling apart and falling to the ground in a plume of purple dust. Her eyes did not leave the man's face. He was sweating profusely.

'I have been tricked!' he gasped, 'Man who sell me eggs, he gave me! Not my eggs to begin with!'

'Give it up.' sighed Pearl.

Wailmer moved forward and moaned in an intimidating manner.

'I sorry! I sorry!' he snivelled, eyes full of fear at the sight of the creature.

Pearl looked disgustedly at the man.

'I won't take you down right now and take you to the police if you give me the money you took from the other trainers.'

The man, now trembling, cleared his throat before nodding slowly.

'You can have…'

He reluctantly reached into his pocket and a quivering, veiny hand offered her a thick handful of notes.

'Water Gun!' she cried as she snatched it.

For a split second, the man's eyes widened before a huge jet of water blasted him several yards away. Soaking wet, he struggled to his feet in a pathetically undignified manner and took off at speed. The shelves were also hit by the force and collapsed, the eggs rolling off and shattering on the ground.

'Good riddance to bad eggs.' smirked Pearl, counting the money. Wailmer looked at it curiously.

'We'll hand this in at a Pokémon Centre so they can return it to its rightful owners.'

She stuffed it into her pocket and surveyed the broken fake eggs. They were strewn across the grass, a mess of sickly colours and fragmented pieces. One, however, was not broken. It was light green and more natural-looking than the others, a scale-like pattern just visible on its shell. Most curiously, however, it was moving. Very slightly, but it was moving.

'Wailmer, look… I think… I think that one is real!'

She slowly approached it, bent down, and lifted it into her arms. Warmth radiated from it, and feeble movements could be felt below its surface. She smiled at it.

'I don't know how a real egg ended up in his collection,' she wondered, 'But I guess it's ours to take care of.'

'Waaaah!' grinned Wailmer as she pulled it close to her chest, shielding it protectively with her arms.

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The boys had lost sight of the flying child by the time they reached the village at the bottom of the hill. Its streets were lined with thick wooden boards that served as pavements on the wet, marshy ground. Their shoes and socks were muddy from walking through it on their way here; living in the middle of it would have been terribly unpleasant for the inhabitants of this area.

'I've heard about this part of Sinnoh,' gritted Jay, stomping his feet on the boards to get the dirt off of his feet, 'The Great Marsh. It's great for plants and Pokémon… just not for people.'

'Hey, look at that…' muttered Nick, not listening to Jay. His eyes had fell on a forlorn, auburn-haired woman putting up a poster on the wall of her house. It showed a picture of a smiling young boy, a mop of brown hair sitting on his freckly head. As she moved back from it, he saw that reported the child as missing. They slowly approached the woman.

'Are you okay?' asked Nick sympathetically.

She turned to look at him. Her hair was the same colour as that of the boy in the poster, and tears lined her similar eyes.

'It's my boy… He's missing, like the other kids.'

'Other kids?' asked Jay. His voice was louder than Nick felt was appropriate.

'The children in town have been going missing one-by-one for two days now.' she sniffed.

They looked across the streets. They had not noticed until now, but the walls of almost every house and shop were plastered with pictures of missing children. Some had been wrinkled by rain, some looked new; like they had been put up today.

'It's those Drifloon…' she seethed, a single tear running down her plump cheek.

'Drifloon…?' muttered Nick, taking out his Pokédex.

'Drifloon.' it began, displaying a picture of a round, purple body topped with a white wisp of hair, spindly legs dangling from it. Tiny black eyes sat above a yellow cross of a mouth. 'A ghost- and flying-type Pokémon. The way it floats aimlessly in the breeze has led people to call it The Signpost for Wandering Spirits. It is said to carry away children who hold its legs.'

'Foul, evil creatures!' snarled the woman, tears now gushing from her burning eyes, 'Evil, evil monsters!'

She stormed away, tears falling onto the rest of the posters she was carrying. They waited until she was out of earshot before talking again.

'Do you think Drifloon is the thing we saw carrying that kid earlier?'

'It must be.' replied Jay. 'Do you feel an adventure coming on?'

'Let's go.' smiled Nick.

They left town the way that they had came and headed for the forest that the balloon Pokémon had hovered over. A group of closely-huddled, stern-looking men standing under the canopy of a store watched them as they went.

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'Gah! This mud!' moaned Jay, pulling his foot from the sucking ground.

'Oh, stop complaining.' grinned Nick, looking not to his companion but to the sky. They had been observing it for some time now, but had seen nothing more than the blanket of clouds that stretched over Southern Sinnoh.

'Nothing…' he muttered.

Skarmory appeared from above the trees and swooped down to stand by its dirty trainer.

'Did you see anything?' he asked it, brushing his ankle.

The bird cawed sadly and looked down. Time passed and their feet and necks began to ache from walking and looking up.

'Perhaps it's time to give up and get going to Pastoria.' sighed Jay, rubbing his sore back.

'Yeah,' replied Nick sadly, 'I guess… hey, look!'

Coming towards them, a fair distance away and very high up, was a Drifloon. As it got closer, they could make out its carefree face as it enjoyed drifting, its legs flapping lazily.

'There's one!' finished Nick.

'Hey, get over here!' shouted Jay.

The Pokémon looked down at them and, strangely, floated closer.

'Flooo?' it chimed inquisitively.

'What did you do with those children from the village?' demanded Nick in his most intimidating voice, his fists clenched.

'Drif-looo!' sang the creature, beginning to spin in circles.

'No time for games!' shouted Jay, 'Let's show this thing we mean business, Nick!'

With a nod, Nick threw a Poké Ball. It hit the ground at the same time as that of Jay. After the bright flash, Skorupi and a Pokémon that Nick had never seen appeared. He looked to Jay who grinned back.

'Luxio.' he said of the small, lion-like creature glaring at Drifloon, its black mane crackling with electricity, 'My Shinx evolved.'

Nick admired the Pokémon as Jay made the first move.

'Spark!'

A thin line of electricity shot from Luxio. A sudden gust lifted Drifloon up and out of the way of the disorientated attack.

'I'll try,' nodded Nick, 'Skorupi! Pin Missile!'

But nothing happened.

'Skorupi, I said use Pin Missile!'

The scorpion yawned loudly, before dropping to the ground and resting.

'What are you doing?' spluttered Nick, 'Get up and attack!'

The Pokemon looked at him over its shoulder, shrugged, and turned back to its slumber. Nick looked at it, wide-eyed and embarrassed. Jay grinned devilishly.

'I think you gave it a rude awakening.'

Nick approached his Pokemon and knelt down beside it.

'Why won't you battle for me, Skorupi?' he asked calmly.

The Pokémon turned its head away, eyes still closed. Nick reached his hand out to touch it supportively.

'I wouldn't do that if I were…'

Skorupi's eyes opened as he touched its back, and it spun around on the spot, its extended tail hitting Nick's feet and knocking him over into the dirt.

'…you.'

Nick, getting frustrated, got up and glared at the giggling scorpion.

'That's not funny, Skorupi! I'm your trainer and it's my job to look after and train you! Won't you please listen to me?'

'Ssssss-kah!' it hissed, looking away.

Nick was distraught as he returned it to its Poké Ball. He walked back to where Jay was, looking at the sopping wet ground, unable to bring himself to look at his rival.

'It happens, man,' said Jay softly, as though fully aware of Nick's sadness, 'Sometimes they just need proof of how much you care for them before they'll start to trust you. You should have seen me with Ekans when I first got it…'

'How did you get it to obey you?' asked Nick, looking up and absent-mindedly fixing his collar.

'That's a story for another time – we need to go after Drifloon!'

Nick looked up to see the balloon monster floating away over the forest. Without speaking, the boys sprinted after it, moving as quickly as they could in the marsh. Their surroundings quickly became dark as they dashed between the damp trees. Nick could understand why Drifloon lived here – it was the perfect setting for ghosts. The balloon was moving surprisingly quickly through the dripping canopy, but they did not lose sight of it.

'I… can't keep… running in this swamp!' panted Jay.

Nick ignored him and continued leaping over the branches and mud that made up the ground. Eventually, Drifloon lowered down from the air and stopped before a massive, moss-covered rock that was almost as tall as the trees. They halted in their tracks a few feet away from it and took a step back when it began to glower at them.

'Dri-floooo!' it howled.

The scene was instantly filled with an Ominous Wind attack. The purple fog chilled the boys to the bone as it hit their faces, and they lifted their arms to shield themselves. Drifloon did not ease up at all.

'Luxio… Spark…' gasped Jay, his voice almost a whisper.

The electric-type sprang from behind him and sent a bolt of lightning tearing through the wind and hitting Drifloon. It twirled around, disorientated, before leaping over the rock and out of sight.

'Don't let it get away!' cried Nick as the mist dissipated.

They quickly ran round to the other side of the rock and saw something they had not expected to see.

Sitting around a wide blanket were a group of children, each of them happily eating fruit. In the centre sat a tiny Drifloon, much smaller than the ones that were circling the scene protectively.

'What the…' muttered Jay, trying to comprehend what he was seeing. At his words, the children all looked up at the trainers.

'More guests!' piped one little boy, purple juice and seeds dripping down his chin from the food he was chewing.

'Did you guys come for the party too?' asked a red-haired girl from behind a freckly face.

'Party?' asked Nick.

'This little Drifloon, it's his party.' smiled another boy. Nick recognised him as the son of the woman who they had met earlier. 'They brought us kids from town to play for a few days. I don't think he has any friends out here in the woods.'

'Floo!' chimed the baby Drifloon. It danced happily in the middle of its new playmates.

The Drifloon they had chased appeared by Nick's side and looked at him hopefully. He nodded to it; he understood now that it was trying to prevent them from ruining the party.

'Your parents are all really worried about you,' he began, kneeling down and petting the baby Drifloon, 'I think it's time you said goodbye for now.'

The small Pokémon stopped nuzzling his hand and looked up sadly.

'You can always come visit your new friend again.' smiled Jay, folding his arms. Luxio stood by his feet licking its paws disinterestedly as drops of rain began to fall all around.

'I guess we should get home, everyone,' said the red-haired girl, getting to her feet, 'Bye bye Drifloon, we'll see you soon!'

She knelt down and hugged the little creature, as did the other children. Then, without question, they approached the pack of adult Drifloon and held onto their legs.

'Come on, trainers!' she smiled.

The original Drifloon and another moved above Nick's head.

'Uhh…' he stuttered, looking to Jay for reassurance. His rival, however, was already being hoisted into the air by two yellow Drifloon. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he lifted his arms and, clenching his fists, felt his feet leaving the ground. Several seconds later he opened his eyes and saw the laughing faces of the children as they swung happily from the Drifloon. Below, the baby jumped gleefully, two adults sitting beside it.

'This is one way to travel!' grinned Jay as the fresh air and rain above the trees hit their faces. The balloon creatures began to move towards the village. Nick, who had never liked heights, kept his eyes closed as much as possible during the short journey, while the children spoke to each other as though they were not levitating several hundred feet above the ground. Only when he felt himself start to descend did he bravely venture from behind his eyelids. They were landing on the stretch of road where they had first saw the Drifloon that was now carrying him. He had never been more thankful than when his feet touched the muddy ground again.

'That was some ride.' laughed Jay as he dropped to the ground, stumbling.

'I'm just glad it's over…' moaned Nick, stretching his arms. They ached after handing on to the Pokémon for so long. He turned to the children. 'Well, we'd better get you ho-'

'There they are!'

He looked towards the village to see a large group of angry men approaching, several of them clutching rusty pitchforks, their eyes burning in rage.

'Let's get 'em!' snarled a bearded man.

'Wait! What are you doing?' yelled Jay, standing in their way.

'Those balloons stole our children and now it's time for them to pay!' replied the same man.

A roll of thunder crashed in the darkening clouds above.

'But your children are back!' pleaded Nick, afraid of what was about to happen.

'And for good!' growled a skinny man whose moustache was thicker than his body. He, along with the others, ran towards the Drifloon, his weapon held high. He swung it at the scared balloons who cowered and drifted out of the way.

'Hey! Leave them alone!' cried Nick.

'Drifloon, fly away! Or attack!' added Jay, sounding just as concerned.

The Pokémon did not obey, but continued to dodge the pitchfork without defending or attacking.

'Why won't they…?' muttered Nick.

Before he could finish his sentence, one of the creatures was struck with the side of the object and fell to the ground, its eyes sorrowful, its body immobile. A flash of light streaked across the sky followed by a low rumble. The attacker looked down at the beaten Pokémon in a protective paternal anger.

The red-haired girl ran from the huddled group of children and began tugging at the man's leg.

'Daddy, please stop!' she sniffled.

'Get out of the way, Jessica!' he snarled in reply.

It was raining heavily now, the child's face wet with both tears and rain.

'The Drifloon are our friends!'

She squelched through the mud and knelt down in front of the Drifloon, hugging its battered body, pressing her face into its plush frame.

'Those monsters kidnapped you!' bellowed the father, unmoved, 'Your mother and I… You don't know how we felt. We thought you'd been stolen from us forever!'

The little girl looked up from the Pokémon into her father's livid eyes.

'No, they took us to play with them!' she sobbed. 'Please don't hurt them!'

At this point, the rest of the children approached her and the rest of the Drifloon descended to their level, floating by their sides affectionately and pleadingly.

'But…' sighed the man, lowering his weapon.

Nick stepped forward.

'There's a baby Drifloon living in the woods,' he began, walking in front of the man and catching his attention, 'It's lonely without other young friends, so the others took your children to play with it for a while. They were never going to harm them.'

'It still doesn't give them the right to take our kids away!' panted the man. It was unclear whether he was calming down or rage was rebuilding inside him.

'No, it doesn't,' replied Nick slowly, 'But you can't attack them like this for it. After all, they were trying to be good parents to their young, and I think you can appreciate that.

There was silence apart from the rain falling and some children sniffling. After a moment, the man dropped the pitchfork into the mud and stepped over it towards his daughter.

'Jessica…'

She ran into his arms and was hugged, as the rest of the men approached to pick up their own children, many of whom were holding Drifloon like balloons.

'Sage words, dude.' grinned Jay, approaching Nick's side. Nick gave a small smile and nod in return. The men couldn't have failed to understand and forgive that the Pokémon were just like them; they cared for their young above all else.

'But how come the Drifloon didn't attack or defend themselves?' asked Jay, looking inquisitively at the yellow ones who had carried him here.

'I guess they didn't want to prove the men right; that they were vicious, evil creatures who stole children.' decided Nick.

The rain had lightened and the clouds above were now a more acceptable shade of grey. Looking back down, they saw the man standing before them, holding his smiling daughter's hand and cradling the injured Drifloon in his other arm.

'We're going to nurse this little guy back to health.' he smiled.

'Flooo…' it cooed.

'Trainers, thanks for helping find our children and stop us from doing something terrible.' he continued. 'Why don't you come back with us and let us repay you. I bet you wouldn't say no to some food and a hot bath!'

'It beats a mud bath…' moaned Jay, wiping the dirt of the Great Marsh from his trousers once more.

There was laughter all round and, together, they headed towards the village as happy balloons swayed in the air above them.


	18. A Fish Out of Water

**Apologies for the lack of updates as of late. Hope you're all enjoying Pokémon Black and White!**

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It was early in the evening when the two boys took their first steps between the thick, damp trees that served as gates into Pastoria City. Like the village they had came from, it was devoid of pavements, a network of boards serving as a walkway between the wooden buildings. The grass was overgrown, but not quite unkempt, with a stifling humidity causing moist beads to run down the blades.

'Ack…' spluttered Jay, pulling his collar away from his neck, 'What's with the heat here?'

'I guess that's why this place is so good for Pokémon,' replied Nick, rolling his sleeves up, 'Nature seems to rule the roost.'

A group of Budew stood by the side of the path, singing pleasantly, concealed in the grass, while a Quagsire lay on its back, sleeping in the sticky air.

'I guess you're right.' laughed Jay, admiring the Pokémon.

Nick looked at more information about each one as they walked, but his upcoming battle with the Pastoria Leader was at the front of his mind. Thoughts of water-types held his thought so much that he did not realise they had reached the Pokémon Centre after only a few minutes of walking.

'Hey, look at this…' muttered Jay, approaching a large board beside its doors.

Nick followed his rival and examined it. A map of the area was emblazoned on it, indicating that the gym was at the other side of town.

'If we follow this street – if that's what you want to call this thing –' said Jay, stamping his foot on the wooden planks and tracing his finger along the map, 'We can probably get there in half an hour.'

'Sounds good.' smiled Jay, looking around at the charming houses of Pastoria. They were dotted around in no definite pattern, trees and bushes growing freely in the gaps. It was as if the townsfolk had built with restraint, so as not to upset the elements.

'Shall we cool off inside first?'

Wiping his sweaty brow and nodding, Nick led them into the air-conditioned rest stop. They collapsed onto the couches in the corner of the room, sighing in relaxation.

'Why do us trainers need to travel on foot?' panted Jay, jokingly.

'It builds character I guess.' laughed Nick. 'Although, then there's Pearl…'

'What was that?' asked Jay.

'Nothing.'

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Nick flicked through a magazine filled with Pokémon pictures, while Jay looked at a travel brochure. A holiday advert captioned _Discover the Sevii Islands!_ covered the back page. It was the latter who broke the quietness.

'So, fighting water-types. What are your thoughts?'

'Oh, err…' stuttered Nick, 'I'll use Elekid since it has a type advantage. I could use Shellder to fight fire with fire or, in this case, water with water, and…'

He trailed off in uncertainty. Jay adopted his signature annoying grin. He knew what Nick was thinking: Skorupi wouldn't listen to commands and Nosepass would be at a disadvantage.

'I'll figure it out.' he sniffed. 'What about you?'

'Well, Luxio obviously,' Jay began, 'Then I'm sure Arbok and Skarmory can wipe the floor with whatever the leader can throw at us.'

'Pardon me.' came a soft voice. They turned their heads to see the resident nurse approaching them, her hands clasped politely. She looked uncannily similar to the nurses they had seen in other Pokémon Centres. 'I couldn't help but overhear – are you planning to battle Crasher Wake?'

Nick looked to Jay in puzzlement, but he did not look back.

'If that's who the Pastoria Gym Leader is, then yeah.' replied his rival.

'He's very strong,' she continued, 'He trains his Pokémon in strong currents and crashing water… Really tests them. You had better be prepared if you're serious about taking him on.'

Jay finally looked at Nick, grinning, then back to the nurse.

'Tell him I said the same.'

The nurse raised her eyebrows and looked above his head for a moment, before walking back to the reception desk and busying herself at a computer. Their faces now cold from the fans' icy blow, they got to their feet, refreshed, and followed the wooden boards through the green streets.

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The waiting room in the gym was decorated in so much blue that the room felt wet and cold. A line of aquarium tanks lined the walls, the fish inside nibbling aimlessly at the surface as the two trainers sat at the edge of their plush seats.

'This is it…'

'Yeah…'

Several tense minutes passed before the doors leading into the arena slid open and a massive figure emerged. The shirtless man's face was partly hidden by a pointed mask, gold cuffs lining his wrists and the belt of his tight leather trousers.

'The ring is my rolling sea!' he bellowed, almost in a tune. The boys jumped in fright. 'The towering waves shaped me! Crash, Crash…!'

Nick, getting to his feet, looked up at the frightening man.

'Crasher Wake?' he asked quietly.

'You got it!' chortled the man, placing his arms on his hips. 'So, which one of ya wants to challenge my marvellous water Pokémon?'

The two trainers looked at each other and back to Wake.

'Both of us.'

'Ah!' smiled the man, his mad eyes widening and surveying them excitedly, 'A double battle, perhaps?'

Nick was taken aback by this suggestion. He had expected Wake to choose an opponent, not to accept both of them as challengers at the same time.

'I'm game if you are!' grinned Jay, patting Nick on the back. After a few moments of hesitation, the latter nodded in agreement.

'We'll do it.'

'Excellent!' roared Wake, his voice louder than waves hitting the shore, 'Then come through in five minutes!'

Spinning round, his titanic muscles flexing, he stomped back through the doors from whence he had came. The boys looked at each other.

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The arena was a huge swimming pool, worn, yellow platforms bobbing on the surface. There were only a few feet of tiled floor space for the challengers to stand on, and a platform towering from the water on which Wake stood, arms folded. A group of hungry-eyed spectators and a referee stood on a balcony above. The latter spoke through a microphone.

'The challengers – Nick of Twinleaf Town and Jay of Sandgem Town – will face the leader – Crasher Wake – in a double battle. They will use three Pokémon, one each at a time, against two of Wake's at a time. The battle will be over when one side's team is incapable of battling anymore.'

'Get ready for the storm!' bellowed Wake, dropping two Poké Balls into the water. There was a flash in the depths and, moments later, two small, blue fish appeared, leaping excitedly in and out of the pool.

'What are those?' wondered Nick, taking out his Pokédex and hoping that these creatures would not be too much of a threat.

'Finneon,' it began, 'The Wing Fish Pokémon. It propels itself through the water by flapping its wing-like tail fins and stores light in the stripes on its sides.'

'Ha!' jeered Jay as Nick put away the device, 'A couple of Finneon? That's the best a gym leader can do?'

'Brave words.' said the leader. 'Choose your Pokémon.'

'You know what to do, Nick! Go, Luxio!'

Jay threw the ball forward and Nick followed suit, releasing Elekid. They now had an advantage over the water-types. The two electric monsters growled determinedly.

'Let's get things on the road! Thundershock!' commanded Jay.

'Err, you too, Elekid!' added Nick.

The side of Wake's mouth lifted into a grin.

'Finneon and Finneon! Go!'

Just before the lightning bolts struck them, the two fish disappeared under the surface and came dashing towards their opponents, routinely leaping from the water, their scales glistening.

'Keep at it!' cried Jay, sounding less confident.

Thundershock after Thundershock fizzled into thin air as the Finneon sped evasively. Nick realised Jay's tactic was useless – it was obviously what Wake would expect from any trainer with an electric-type Pokémon. He decided to take the initiative.

'Elekid, get onto those floats and try land a Thunderpunch!'

Quickly obeying its trainer and leaping into the midst of battle, Elekid readied itself for when the Finneon next showed themselves.

'Keep watching…' nodded Nick. He could feel Jay's eyes on him, and tried to suppress a smile, knowing that his partner was unsettled at not thinking of another tactic first. Suddenly, the two Finneon leapt out of the air.

'Now!'

Elekid sprang forward at a speed equal to its lightning powers and delivered a sparking blow to one of the fish. It spiralled back with a high-pitched whine and crashed into the water.

'Yes!' cheered Wake, for some reason happy that his Pokémon had been damaged. Nick thought that perhaps he considered this a worthy battle. Meanwhile, the other Finneon was heading towards Luxio.

'Up we go!' ordered Wake.

The remaining water-type sprang out of the water, remarkably high into the air.

'Uhh… T-Thundershock!' stuttered Jay nervously.

'Bounce!'

Before Luxio could unleash a single spark from its body, the Finneon shot down like a meteorite and crushed it against the wet floor.

'Luxio!' cried the trainer.

'Now Water Gun!' laughed Wake, pounding his chest.

The Finneon bounced off of Luxio and, while in mid-air, spat a powerful jet of water at its already-dazed foe, throwing it backwards and into the wall. Jay ran to its side and stroked its crackling mane sadly.

'Thanks.' he said as it disappeared into its Poké Ball.

'Your battle plan needs improvement, or else you'll always be sucked into the whirlpool of defeat!' barked Wake, talking to Jay like a disappointed parent.

The leader aimed a Poké Ball at the water and the defeated Finneon was recalled. Jay snarled and fumbled in his pocket for another Poké Ball, which he subsequently found and threw forwards.

'Arbok, I choose you!'

The giant cobra appeared, hissing viciously at the Finneon that was bobbing at the surface near its trainer.

'Ah, so you understand that type advantages aren't everything!' grinned Wake. 'In that case… Finneon! Use Water Pulse!'

The little fish zoomed through the depths before leaping out of the water, a pulsating blue orb forming around it.

'Gah!' spluttered Jay, in a rage, 'Arbok! Glare!'

The snake's eyes began to glow a blue colour and it looked at Finneon murderously. The water-type's orb faded to nothing, and it dropped into the water, before emerging and staring quietly at Arbok.

'Now!' continued Jay, fists clenched, 'Bite, then Acid!'

The cobra sprung into the air before falling on top of the fish, catching it between its fangs and dragging it into the darkness of the pool. Moments later, Finneon came bursting out and flew into the air, while Arbok followed. Opening its mouth and hissing, it vomited a spray of purple sludge into the fish, hurling it into the air until it almost hit the roof. Wake recalled it as it began its descent into inevitable defeat.

'That's better!' he laughed. 'For a moment, I thought it wasn't worth battling you!'

Nick did not look at Jay; it would have been unbearably awkward, knowing that Wake had valued him as an opponent more than the boy who always claimed to know it all. Arbok landed beside Elekid, nodding at its ally.

'That was nothing but the kiddie pool!' sneered Wake, producing two more Poké Balls from his belt. 'Let's see how you do with these!'

Two bursts of light later, two much more formidable-looking Pokémon appeared. Nick consulted the Pokédex again.

'Huntail,' it said of the blue eel-like creature, 'It lives in the abyss of the sea, which gives it an extremely strong body structure. It uses its fish-shaped tail to attract prey.'

'A Huntail… I've never heard of it…' muttered Jay. Nick paid little attention to his partner, instead pointing the Pokédex at the tall, weasel-like creature that stood on two legs on one of the floats.

'Floatzel, the Sea Weasel Pokémon. It uses the flotation sac around its neck to rescue drowning people as well as carry off prey.'

'Two prey-hunting Pokémon we're facing then.' said Nick, his voice carrying more determination that he had expected it to.

'Floatzel should be easy enough, they're a common sight around coastal Sinnoh,' called Jay over the loud splashing sound that the two opponents were making, 'But I have no idea what Huntail is like. Let's be careful.'

'Enough talk!' shouted Wake, 'Floatzel, Aqua Jet on Elekid!'

The weasel harnessed water from the pool and surrounded itself in an aquatic shield. With a growl, it leaped into the air and shot towards Elekid like a blue-hued bullet.

'Elekid!' exclaimed Nick in fear, before regaining his battling stance. 'Give it a double Thunderpunch!'

The electric-type snarled and threw both its throbbing fists forwards, the electric power locking with the head of the speeding Floatzel. There was a crashing sound, and both Pokémon were soon pushing against each other, the lightning punch trying to spread its zap to the water while the marine move tried to drench its power. Out of challenger and leader, the latter was first to order the next move.

'Swift!'

Floatzel raised its arms within its water vortex and several star-shaped discs of energy appeared around it. Spinning around the Pokémon, they propelled it forwards, smashing into Elekid and knocking it towards its trainers feet while Floatzel dove into the water.

'Elekid! Are you alright?' cried Nick, leaning beside his Pokémon.

'El! Elekid!' it sighed, getting to its feet feebly. It seemed eager to continue.

'It's no use,' decided Nick, lifting the Poké Ball, 'You need to rest for now. Get inside.'

Elekid reluctantly disappeared into the ball in a red flash. Floatzel had reappeared on a platform in the middle of the room, looking proud of itself.

'We'll show you!' shouted Nick, in a storm of angry and competitive emotions. 'Let's see what you can do, Skorupi!'

'Nick, no!' groaned Jay.

Skorupi emerged from the ball and stood nonchalantly by the water's edge.

'Give it a Pin Missile!'

Skorupi did not respond.

'Okay, err… maybe not Pin Missile!' nodded Nick nervously, 'How about Poison Sting?'

Skorupi quickly turned to its trainer and shot an array of glowing nails towards its trainer. Nick ducked out of the way while they stuck into the wall behind him. The scorpion Pokémon giggled menacingly.

'Skorupi, that's not funny!' shouted Nick. 'Now listen to me and go use Poison Sting!'

The poison-type huffed and turned away, eyes closed in rebellion.

'It's not going to listen to you!' cried Jay.

'Won't you just use an attack for me, Skorupi?' pleaded Nick.

Suddenly, the referee's voice boomed throughout the room.

'Skorupi refuses to battle and is thus disqualified!'

Nick sighed, wondered if his unruly partner would ever listen to him, and withdrew it back into its ball in disappointment. He took out another, the one containing Shellder, and released his own water-type.

'I guess this is time to fight fire with fire…' he half-laughed.

'We'll take care of Huntail,' stated Jay, his eyes burning, 'Go and use Acid again!'

'Dive!' called Wake.

The cobra opened its frightful jaws again and spewed acid towards the water where the eel lurked, but the latter disappeared under before the gunk hit it.

'Ack! It's fast…' moaned Jay.

Wake closed his eyes smugly and folded his arms.

'Brine!'

Huntail leapt from the water, coiled its body and began spinning rapidly, dart-like drops of water shooting from it and slicing into Arbok's wide front.

'Counter it with Poison Sting!' shouted Jay, almost pleading.

Arbok, its eyes still closed in pain, opened its mouth and spat back an array of its own glowing, poisonous darts. They hit Huntail as it uncoiled and it dropped into the water again, now suffering from the ill effects of the poison-type attack.

'Spot on!' smiled Jay. His Pokémon hissed in reciprocation of the kind words.

'You think that will stop Huntail?' barked the leader, pointing at the snake. 'Use Whirlpool!'

The water-type's almost-indistinguishable form began to swim rapidly round the float on which Arbok stood until it began to lose its balance.

'Don't fall into the water, Arbok!' cried Jay. Nick could tell he knew that if Arbok did fall into Huntail's territory, there was almost no chance of securing victory.

'Ch-Ch-Chaaaa!' hissed the venomous creature, tossing and turning on the thrashing platform.

'This shouldn't take long.' chortled Wake, enjoying the spectacle.

Nick knew he had to help.

'Shellder, go distract Huntail! Knock it out of the water!'

'Shell!' piped the bivalve creature, bouncing from Nick's feet into the water and out of sight. Moments later, the whirlpool stopped.

'Thanks, Nick!' smiled the other boy. 'Get ready, Arbok!'

Shellder clamped Huntail's tail and, with an almighty spin, threw it up and out of the water. The eel regained its posture, as though enjoying its flight.

'Wrap!' shouted Jay as loudly as he could.

No sooner had he barked the command than Arbok had entangled itself with Huntail, both of them now soaring into the air. The spectators cowered back, fearing the two serpentine beasts would hit them if they raised any higher.

'Finish it with Ice Fang!' called Wake into the heavens.

Huntail's fangs glistened and it bit into Arbok's chest, frost and steam pouring from the wound.

'Chaaaaaaa!' it cried in agony.

'Arbok, no!' gasped Jay. He was silent for a moment as the two Pokémon reached their peak, before announcing his next move. 'Screech, and wriggle free!'

Once again, Arbok attacked despite its own pain. Its already-opened mouth began to emit the most horrific, piercing noise Nick had ever heard. The fans covered their ears, one of them fainting at the sound. Huntail had a similar reaction; it loosened its icy grip and fell away from its opponent.

'Nick, go for it!'

'Oh, err… Icicle Spear!'

Shellder popped onto the platform, which had just stopped shaking from the whirlpool, before firing a series of pointed icicles at the falling serpent. Every one of them hit and Huntail crashed onto the float, catapulting the smaller water-type through the air and back to its trainers feet, where it smiled at him. Huntail did not move.

'Huntail is unable to battle!' declared the referee. Wake did not seem phased.

'Impressive teamwork!' he roared gleefully. 'But let's see you take out… Floatzel!'

Upon hearing its name, Floatzel leapt from the depths with its Aqua Jet around it and slammed into Arbok. The cobra finally fell, its piercing eyes closing in defeat, while Floatzel loomed above it, victoriously.

'Caught me off guard…' gritted Jay. Arbok shot back into the Poké Ball.

'Don't worry, I'll finish it!' nodded Nick to his partner. 'Shellder, go clamp it!'

Shellder, who had been lurking underwater too, jumped out and bit Floatzel's tail.

'What!' bellowed Wake, almost laughing. 'Floatzel, Aqua Jet and get it off!'

Nick smiled. This is what he had been counting on. He watched the weasel burst into the air in a jet of water before spinning to shake Shellder off.

'Shellder, don't lose your grip and use Icicle Spear!'

Just as its shell slipped off of its foe, Shellder shot a freezing cold spear. The ice crept over the Aqua Jet and froze Floatzel's bottom half solid. It began to plummet.

'Now Tackle!'

The shell creature smashed into its enemy and sent it spiralling down. It impacted the bottom of the pool, creating a huge splash in its wake, before its unconscious body floated to the surface.

'Beautiful!' chuckled Wake, recalling his Pokémon.

Nick was becoming used to the humorous, inspiring way in which Wake treated a battle. He obviously enjoyed the experience, regardless of whether or not he won.

'You have calmed my storm!' laughed the leader, 'But now, I have just one more Pokémon! My oldest and most trusted partner.'

The challengers looked at each other.

'Get ready…' urged Jay.

'Let's secure victory!' announced the leader. The Poké Ball fell into the water. Moments later, a striped fish with enormous wing-like fins appeared.

'Ha!' laughed Jay suddenly.

'What?' asked Nick. He had never seen such a Pokémon before.

'It's a Lumineon!' replied his ally, still chucking. 'It's the evolved form of Finneon. It's hardly a threat.'

Nick felt a little calmer after Jay's statement, but he couldn't have helped but notice that Jay was often misguided.

'Try me.' said the leader, quieter than he had said anything else.

'You go first!' smiled Jay, nodding to Nick.

'Uh…' thought Nick. 'Shellder, try a Tackle!'

'Sheeeeell!' squeaked the bivalve. It leapt off the float it had landed on towards Lumineon.

'Gust!'

Suddenly, a huge tsunami rose from the pool, knocking Shellder away and slowly lifting Lumineon into the air.

'Ah, yes. I've heard about this.' mused Jay, folding his arms. 'Lumineon's fins are so much like the wings of those of bird Pokémon that it can use flying-type attacks.'

'You think?' smirked Wake.

Lumineon floated higher and higher until it was level with its trainer's face..

'Go.'

The fish began to fly in circles around the arena, spinning and rolling gracefully.

'What the…?' gasped Jay.

'How is it doing that?' asked Nick, in the hope that his unreliable partner might shed some light on the subject.

'It looks like… that Lumineon has been trained to use its flying-type attacks to allow it to actually… well, fly!'

'You got it!' roared Wake, a devilish smile on his round jaw. 'Let's see you handle a fish out of water!'

Lumineon flew overhead, strong, almost-visible gusts appearing around it to keep it airborne. A fiery glow started to burn around it as it looked down at Shellder and, without warning, it darted down and smashed into the shell Pokémon, tearing a hole in the float on which it sat and causing a splash that almost reached the referee's box. Shellder came flying from the cascade and landed beside Nick, a long crack running along the top of its shell. The flying fish vanished below.

'Shellder, return!' whimpered Nick. Shellder was vacuumed back inside the ball. Nick took out his Pokédex.

'Giga Impact,' it explained, 'It is among the most powerful attacks discovered so far. The user will often have to recuperate before making another move.'

'I've… never seen anything like it…' panted Jay.

'This is where the sea swallows you up!' roared Wake, his arms raised as high as they could go, 'Choose your last two Pokémon!'

The two trainers looked uncertainly at each other, before unveiling their two remaining allies: Elekid and Skarmory. The steel bird perched itself on the edge of the pool, apparently uncomfortable around water, while Elekid stood close to its trainer. It seemed to have made a small recovery from its earlier efforts.

'Elekid! Go look for Lumineon!' commanded Nick. He kept a close eye on the water as his Pokémon hopped onto the floating platforms, expecting Lumineon to appear suddenly.

'Skarmory, fly high for now!'

The steel-type emitted a piercing caw and took off. Several minutes passed with no sign of the water-type. Elekid fired Thundershocks into the water, but they did not hit any worthwhile targets.

'That should be enough time, I think…' smirked Wake, in quieter tones than he had ever spoken since they had met him, 'Whirlpool!'

The surface of the water grew choppier, the waves starting to creep onto the sides and soak the challengers' shoes. Moments later, a gigantic whirlpool opened up, touching every side of the pool, spinning at a breakneck pace. From the centre, a cyclone ascended, Lumineon spiralling back into the air. Nick took his attention away from it in time to see Elekid being dragged by the violent waters, choking and struggling.

'Elekid…' gasped Nick, at a loss for what to do. Jay, however, came to his rescue.

'Skarmory! Save Elekid!'

With an icy shriek, Skarmory descended faster than a bullet and managed to grab Elekid's arm in its metal jaws. With a flick of its neck, it threw the electric-type onto its back and soared into the air again. Lumineon was floating at the very top of the room, gazing at them with a malicious smile.

'Good teamwork,' smiled Wake, 'That's what I like to see. However! Lumineon, Water Gun!'

The jet of water fell from the heavens and crashed down onto the two Pokémon, knocking them to the flooded ground by their trainers. Without hesitation, however, they got back onto their feet, but breathing heavily.

'That thing is very powerful,' started Jay, folding his arms again, 'Even its basic attacks like Water Gun have done serious damage.

'Try again, guys!' pleaded Nick.

Skarmory looked to him and scowled.

'Do it, Skarmory.' confirmed Jay.

At these words, the steel-type let Elekid onto its back and took off again.

'Why didn't it…?' began Nick.

'Nick, we may be battling together,' intercepted Jay, a wry smile between his cheeks, 'But it's still _my_ Pokemon and only listens to _me_.'

Nick gave a half-smile and looked back to the battle. Before the duo could get close to the water-type, however, it sent a storming Gust through the room, knocking Elekid from the bird's back and towards the whirlpool again. It managed to land on one of the spinning floats before quickly leaping back to the trainer's platform. Skarmory crash-landed beside Wake. He reached out a hand and stroked its stiff feathers as it lay wounded by his feet.

'Surviving?'

No sooner had he touched it than it snapped at his muscly hand, growled, and flew back to Jay.

'Are you okay?' asked the boy, patting Skarmory's head. The bird smiled and cawed again. Its steel was scratched, however; it was clear that it was getting very tired. Elekid was in a similar condition.

'We need to think about this.' started Nick, catching his partner's attention with a wave of his hand. 'We've got to get close to Lumineon without it using Gust.'

'Agility!' piped Jay suddenly.

'What?'

'Skarmory knows the move Agility!' he continued excitedly, 'It should be fast enough to get to Lumineon, then we'll bring it back to earth!'

Nick nodded and both trainers looked to their Pokémon. The creatures nodded, and began to fly again.

'Hold on tight, Elekid!' called Nick.

Without warning, Skarmory fired into the air, its incredibly speed imprinting images in the air behind it as it went. Elekid's arms were clasped around its neck, its eyes closed, its teeth clenched.

'Gust, again!' laughed the leader.

Lumineon lifted its fins to direct another wind attack at them. But it was not fast enough. Skarmory's frightful mouth opened and clamped its beak around Lumineon's tail.

'Wha-!' cried Wake. For the first time, he sounded genuinely worried, as though not enjoying the competition anymore and fearing defeat.

'Throw it down!' shouted Jay.

The metal bird had began to drop when Nick had an idea.

'Elekid! Jump off!'

He saw his partner's eyes open, looking down at him in confusion.

'Trust me, Elekid!' he continued, 'Jump off and use all your electric power on the whirlpool! I promise you, do it!'

The electric creature duly let go of Skarmory and dropped into the water.

'Come on…'

Suddenly, several lightning bolts shot out of Elekid's body, in every direction, hitting the walls and ceiling. The spectators once more crouched to the ground to avoid being hit. Elekid's entire body began to shine, a yellow aura surrounding it. It landed in the centre of the whirlpool, but it was not caught in the current. The water displaced itself and Elekid was able to stand on a small place on the floor, more and more lightning bolts firing from it.

'Wow!' gasped Jay, losing his cool, 'Your Elekid is incredible! It looks like it has learned Thunderbolt!'

'Go, Elekid!' cheered Nick, a wide smile on his face.

The Thunderbolt hit the walls of the whirlpool and began to circle with it. In mere moments, the water had been turned into pulsating electrical power, still spiralling rapidly, crackling and glowing.

'Have Skarmory use Air Cutter!' Nick yelled over the deafening sound of the electricity.

Jay complied and Skarmory threw Lumineon towards the ground before sending an array of twisting blades of air into the pool. Elekid raised its arms and growled, and the blades sliced the power into a thunderous cyclone, encapsulating the water-type in its centre. The ball of power started to expand and, moments later, a huge electrical explosion burst through the arena, a blinding white light filling every dark corner. Several minutes later, vision returned. Skarmory was hovering above Nick and Jay, a gasping but undefeated Elekid lying on its back. The pool was empty, save for Lumineon's unconscious body lying in the centre. It twitched and panted, smoke spewing from its burns.

'Lu…Lumineon…' stuttered Wake, his charisma gone, his huge body paling in comparison to his now-tiny confidence. He said nothing more, and neither did the trainers.

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'Impressive indeed.' said Rowan, looking at the two Fen Badges that the boys were holding up to the screen of the videophone. 'Crasher Wake is an overwhelming character. Beating him is quite something.'

'Thanks!' beamed Nick.

'I trust Wake's Pokémon were of invaluable interest to the Pokédex?' asked the old man.

Nick wiped his face while nodding. The sweat from the battle was just beginning to cool in the pleasant air of the Pokémon Centre where a hearty meal and a bed now awaited them.

'He had actually trained his Lumineon to fly!'

'I had no idea such a thing were possible.' the Professor replied, trying not to sound unprofessionally surprised. 'You really are making excellent progress, but don't let it go to your head. I received some interesting news from Pearl too.'

'You did?' asked Nick, slightly crestfallen.

'She's came into possession of a Pokémon egg.'

Nick's eyes widened and he nodded politely at this announcement. He hadn't even known that Pokémon came from eggs. Deep down he hoped that whatever hatched from it would not win her the attention and praise of the professor.

'She's now on her way to Canalave City.' continued Rowan.

The boy had heard of this coastal city. It was not far from Twinleaf Town. He had never visited it, however. Since beginning his journey, he had realised just how much of Sinnoh he hadn't actually seen. The gift of Pokémon was allowing him to visit all the places he never had before.

'Is there a gym there?' he asked.

'Yes.' confirmed the old man, offering no further details. 'Pearl is travelling there and visiting the nearby islands before returning to Sandgem Town to show me the egg. I suggest you do the same, especially if you want to challenge another gym. Just be prepared to deal with steel-types.'

Nick's stomach churned as he thought about the defensive, impenetrable Pokémon that steel-types surely would be. Bidding the professor goodnight, he put down the receiver and collapsed onto the couch where Jay was also sitting.

'That was… an amazing battle.' said his friend in a monotonously serious tone.

Nick looked at him for a moment then smiled, even though he did not look back.

'It really was.'

'What Elekid did… it's unbelievably powerful for its level.'

'Thanks.' nodded Jay. 'Skarmory was awesome too.'

Jay finally turned to him, grinning.

'I guess you're catching up to me in terms of skill.'

Nick scrunched his face at him jokingly before lying back and closing his eyes in relaxtion. Elekid, the Pokémon of the hour, was already fast asleep.


	19. Spiritomb Raiders!

'Elek-KIIIIID!'

Nick opened his eyes to see Elekid standing by his bed, huge sparks flying from its antennae as it showed off its new power to Jay and Luxio, who were standing in the doorway of the room.

'You're proud of your Thunderbolt attack, huh?' laughed Nick, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and cracking his knuckles. He looked from his Pokémon to Jay, who was drinking a cup of tea, the morning light falling across his face.

'So, how do we get to Canalave City from here?' he asked, his voice hoarse.

'Well,' began his rival between sips, 'While we're in this part of Sinnoh, we could visit Lake Valor. It's one of the three grand lakes of the region, along with Lake Acuity near Snowpoint City and Lake Verity in Twinleaf Town.'

Memories of summer evenings sitting by the water of Lake Verity rushed into Nick's mind. He felt a sudden longing for home, but it was not as great as his longing for adventure.

'Yeah, that sounds like a great idea.' smiled Nick, pulling the covers off of himself and getting to his feet with a yawn and a stretch.

'From there, Skarmory can fly us back to Jubilife City, hopefully.'

Nick was not keen on the idea of sitting on the frightening steel bird, but he kept quiet as he approached the sink to freshen up before the next leg of their journey. He washed and pulled on some fresh clothes before looking down at Elekid.

'How about you rest in your Poké Ball for a while?' he smiled.

'Elekid!' it grinned as it was pulled back inside in a red flash.

The two boys walked down the stairs of the Pokémon Centre. The reception was quiet, save for an old man reading a newspaper by the window and two young children, a boy and a girl, at the counter, looking up pleadingly at the nurse. She was running her hands over a small creature that appeared to be covered in leaves, although several of them were ravaged and torn, while an orange primate lay dazed beside it. The nurse turned to look at the two older trainers as they passed.

'Congratulations again on your victory against Wake!' she smiled, the morning light falling across her flawless face.

'Thank you.' they replied in unison.

'Where are you going next?' she asked, still fondling the leaf-covered Pokémon.

'Lake Valor.' answered Jay, putting his hands into his pockets. 'I've heard that it's an amazing sight on a beautiful day like today.'

'You heard right.' she smiled.

The young girl and boy were on the verge of tears and seemed desperate for the nurse to pay attention to them again.

'While you're at Lake Valor,' she continued, 'You might want to visit the Elder who lives by the water. She often gives useful advice to trainers.'

Nick and Jay looked at each other and nodded interestedly.

'Nurse!' piped the little boy finally, 'Will our Pokémon be okay?'

'Yes, they'll be fine, but you can't let your Pokémon battle so intensely until they're stronger.' she said strictly. The boy fell silent, still bubbling. Nick opened his Pokédex and held it towards the creatures.

'Burmy, the Bagworm Pokémon,' it explained, 'It protects itself by making a cloak out of nearby materials. This may include leaves, earth or trash.'

'Weird…' mumbled Jay.

'Chimchar,' said the Pokédex of the other creature, 'The gas in its belly becomes the flame that burns from its tail. It burns weakly when it is ill or injured.'

Nick looked at the Chimchar. Its tail was nothing more than a flicker.

'You should take a role out of these trainers' books.' said the nurse to the children, gesturing to Nick and Jay. Nick blushed and Jay grinned as they looked up at them in awe.

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The ground became less marshy as they followed the wooded path to the lake, making the walk easier and more enjoyable. Clouds had crept over the sun, but the air remained pleasantly warm. Jay whistled a tune as they observed their surroundings; the trees were perhaps the most lush Nick had ever seen, clustered together in a canopy of dark green leaves.

'This place must be teeming with wild Pokémon…' mused Jay longingly.

'Yeah.' agreed Nick. He wondered when he would next catch a Pokémon, and hoped that it would be easier to raise than Skorupi.

As they turned a bend, a small stream emerged from the trees as though guiding them to their destination. They slowed to admire the crystal clear water gently making its way, but a rustling in the reeds by its edge caught their attention. Jay instinctively withdrew a Poké Ball and waited. Before long, an animal with curly fur and large, protruding front teeth walked out in front of them on all fours, before standing on two feet and staring at them with curious, black eyes.

'Hey, I've seen one of those before in Twinleaf Town…' smiled Nick.

'It's a Bidoof,' explained Jay, 'They're pretty common in most areas of Sinnoh.'

'It's kinda goofy, but cute.' smirked Nick.

'I think I'll make this one mine!' exclaimed Jay suddenly, releasing Luxio. The two Pokémon looked at each other.

'Luxio, Thundershock!'

With a growl, the electric-type released a bolt which cracked like a whip at the ground where Bidoof had stood moments before – it rolled to the side and out of the way just in time, but lay shaking its head, dazed.

'Poké Ball, go!'

Jay tossed an empty ball towards it, only for the beaver to come to its senses and whack the ball away with its tail before dashing into the stream with a splash.

'Can't win 'em all!' laughed Nick, as he browsed Bidoof's data in the Pokédex.

'Hmph.' replied Jay, approaching and picking up the failed ball before recalling Luxio. 'Let's go.'

Before long, they found themselves staring across the vast, sparkling water of Lake Valor. A ray of sunlight was beaming through the clouds and illuminating the surface, distant ripples giving away the hiding places of water-types.

'What a view!' gasped Nick.

'Sure is,' replied Jay, 'And look, over there. That must be where the Elder lives.'

Nick looked to where his friend was pointing to see a small cottage almost completely concealed by the trees, smoke slowly rising from a stone chimney. Without words, they began to walk around the edge of the lake. Minutes later, they reached the worn wooden front door, the steel knocker of which was shaped like some sort of fierce-looking dragon.

'Uh… You knock.' muttered Jay.

'What?' said Nick indignantly, 'Why me? You do it.'

'No, I said it first!' spat back Jay.

The boys started bickering and failed to notice the door slowly opening.

'Welcome.' said a croaky voice.

The two boys were startled, and looked forward to see a short, grey-haired woman standing before them, leaning on a knotted walking stick.

'Uh, hi…' they stuttered.

'Trainers?'

'Y-Yeah.'

'Come in.'

They hesitated before following her inside. Several stone tabletops lined the room, while pots and pans hung from the walls above a dusty wooden floor. They took seats on two burst, cushioned stools as the Elder approached a whistling teapot.

'Where ya from?' she rasped.

'Twinleaf and Sandgem.' replied Jay, the two boys looking at each other, unsure of how to feel.

'Ah! Twinleaf!' she barked suddenly. 'The home of one of the Lake Guardians!'

'Lake Guardia-?'

'The trio of benevolent spirits that live in the three lakes of Sinnoh.' interrupted the woman, sitting opposite them and thrusting two cups of black tea towards them. 'The Pokémon known as Azelf, Uxie and Mesprit, created by the Original One.'

Nick suddenly remembered the book that he had read in the Old Chateau that had detailed a legend regarding this.

'The Pokémon that gave us will, emotion and knowledge?' asked Nick, his eyes widening in curiosity.

'Yes indeed, and one of them is said to live at the bottom of this very lake.'

Nick turned his head to look out at the lake, but could not see it from the window.

'Anyway, how is your journey progressing?' she asked, sipping the tea. Nick tried it and had to force it down without retching.

'I have four badges, and we're on our way to Canalave City.' he spluttered through his disgust.

'I only have two badges… I need to get more, and quickly.' said Jay quietly. This was the most sincere and introspective that Nick had ever heard him.

'Ah, but patience is a virtue.' said the Elder, lifting a finger. 'Let me tell you a story.'

The boys got comfortable and pretended to take sips of the tea.

'There was once a family who lived in a house in the woods. One day the father asked the youngest son to go deep into the woods and bring back a Pokémon that could help cut the firewood. Receiving an empty Poké Ball, the boy left home and travelled into the trees.

'After hours of searching, he found the Pokémon that his father had asked him to catch. However, before he could throw the Poké Ball, a flash of light caught his eye. Turning to look, he found himself staring at a legendary Pokémon that his grandmother had only spoke of in her folk stories. Ignoring the first creature, he threw the ball at the legendary one, only for it to disappear and the ball to hit the ground.

'"Ha! You can't catch me!" laughed the legendary, appearing behind the boy. Picking up the ball, he threw it at the Pokémon again and, once more, it vanished and reappeared behind him. It continued to mock the boy, while using its psychic powers to read his thoughts in order to avoid the Poké Ball. This continued until the boy became frustrated and turned away from it, focusing again on the creature he had originally intended to capture.

'"Are you giving up?" sneered the legendary, taunting him. Paying no attention to the beast as it floated near him, he threw the ball at the other Pokémon.

'To his surprise, the common Pokémon batted the ball away, only for it to hit the unwitting legendary creature, capturing it in an instant.'

'With its immense power, the family lived to be prosperous and were able to help those around them, turning the woods into a thriving community for people and Pokémon alike.'

Nick and Jay had been listening intently, and leaned closer as the old woman finished the story, taking another sip of her tea.

'Do you understand?' she asked in a whisper.

'Ermm…'

'Only when the boy began acting rationally, keeping focus of his goal, was a wonderful gift bestowed upon him. Take your time, put in effort, and you will find that you will achieve your goals as trainers.'

Nick smiled widely, understanding and appreciating the story. He looked to Jay, who was nodding slowly.

'You could always…' began the woman, before her voice fell to a mumble, 'No… no, maybe not…'

'No, please?' begged Jay, leaning forward.

Nick also found himself eager to know what other advice she had.

'Well, you could try exploring the Valor Ruins.'

'The Valor Ruins?' both boys replied inquisitively.

The Elder drank more then sat in silence for several moments before answering.

'Some ruins lie deeper in the forest. They are ancient and mysterious, and a treasure is said to lie inside, but only the most honest and brave trainers will find it. I get the feeling you two might be capable…'

Nick's eyes widened but not as much as Jay's. His rival nodded at him, his smile wider than Lake Valor. The woman noticed this and began to reveal more.

'Follow the path behind the house and you'll find the ruins.'

'Thank you, Elder!' exclaimed Jay, pulling Nick to his feet and rolling up his sleeves. 'Come on, Nick! Let's find ourselves a treasure!'

'Err…' stuttered Nick, but before he could voice any concerns, he had been pulled out of the door. It closed behind them with a rattling slam, and the woman grinned.

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The trees narrowed as they followed the trail, arching into a tunnel as if leading to something hallowed. Nick found himself having to walk quicker to keep up with an excited Jay.

'Maybe we should think about this?' he pleaded.

'Nah, let's do it!' cheered Jay, almost running. What lay ahead was shrouded entirely in darkness, an abyss in the midst of the trees.

'All I'm saying is that we don't know how…'

Light suddenly filtered down through the growth and illuminated a towering, stone building. The boys stopped and looked at it. Its grey, moss-covered walls had no windows and, despite not being remarkably long in length, the pitch black entrance seemed to go on forever.

'…dangerous it is.'

The silence was louder than anything else, no birdcalls penetrating the wall of silence around the ruins. Jay now seemed less confident.

'Do you want to go first?'

'No!' snapped Nick.

'But what if there's something amazing in there, like gold, or a rare Pokémon?'

Nick wondered what kind of Pokémon would live in such a place. He stared, almost in disbelief, at the ruins, before resigning himself to going in.

'If you really want to explore it, I'll come with you. But we'll go in together.'

Jay nodded slowly. Nick pretended not to notice that he was clutching a Poké Ball in a trembling hand. They walked slowly up the steps and into the tunnel. The cold and darkness washed over them like a sea wave, and the sounds of dripping water echoed from further ahead.

'Maybe we should get Elekid and Shinx to light the way.'

The two electric-types emerged and released bursts of energy. Their Flash attacks, however, could barely reveal the surroundings, the darkness overcoming and swallowing any attempt at making the journey less mysterious. The boys said nothing, but followed their redundant Pokémon into the void. Nick continually looked back at the daylight, only to find it slowly fading. This was too sinister; it was not dusk yet. Something, however, pulled him further, despite wanting to run for the exit.

'The light, it's… gone.'

Jay turned to see that nothingness surrounded them in all directions. They reached out and found that the walls did not seem to be there anymore.

'What's going on?'

Nick found his heart starting to beat quicker. He started to run back the way they had came, but it was useless; the outside world was gone.

'I don't like this!' cried Jay.

The trainer started to run, but fell onto the ground, as though something had grabbed his foot to trip him. From the shadows, several pairs of glowing red eyes suddenly opened, piercing the darkness and staring hypnotically at them.

'What… are they?' whimpered Nick.

No sooner had he said it than a light burst from nowhere and lit up the area they were standing in; an enormous, square room with a ceiling that stretched up into infinity. The owners' of the eyes were revealed; a pack of skulls enshrouded in dark, ragged cloaks. They had began to fly rapidly around the room when the light had appeared.

'Argh!' shrieked Jay, covering his head and cowering into the floor. Nick was similarly startled, but managed to consult the Pokédex, successfully aiming it at the creatures that were circling them.

'Duskull, the Requiem Pokémon.' it said. 'This scary Pokémon lives in darkness and chases its prey until the sun rises. Duskull is the first evolutionary form of Dusknoir.'

Nick had an unsettling flashback to the Dusknoir he and Pearl had encountered in the Old Chateau. If Duskull was a younger version, hopefully it would not be as powerful. There were, however, several of them. His thoughts were interrupted by a Shadow Ball crashing at his feet and knocking him to the ground beside Jay, who was still clutching his head, trembling.

'Jay, get up! We have to fight!' bellowed Nick.

Slowly, Jay looked up, and threw two balls into the air. Skarmory and Arbok joined Luxio, while Nick released Nosepass, Shellder and Skorupi. The Duskull moaned and tossed more pulsating Shadow Balls towards them from above.

'Nosepass, Stealth Rock! Shellder, Icicle Spear! Skorupi, Pin Missile!' barked Nick.

Nosepass formed several pointed stones and sent them soaring upwards, tearing through and destroying several of the ghost-type attacks and knocking some Duskull away into the blackness around the edges of the room. Shellder's spears had a similar effect; some of the ghosts were chased away but Shellder was damaged by one of their attacks. Skorupi yawned loudly and started sniffing around. Its attitude would not change even in such desperate situations like this. The Duskull, however, noticed its refusal to battle, and released a shadowy mist that enveloped Skorupi and pulled it away out of sight.

'Skorupi, no!' wailed Nick, reaching out in vain for his fading scorpion companion. His heart sank as it vanished from sight.

'Nick, keep battling!' urged Jay. His confidence seemed to have returned. 'Luxio, Thundershock! Arbok, Acid! Skarmory, Metal Sound!'

Luxio's Thundershock blasted away the two Duskull that had lifted it into the air, while Arbok's poisonous bile covered others and pulled them to the ground, where they faded from sight. Skarmory bowed its head, before looking into the air and emitting a noise that filled the room, a horrific, palpably unbearable screech. Several of the ghosts were scared away. Only three were now still in battle. They soared high into the air and, shaking, formed a huge Shadow Ball between them.

'We gotta get away from that!' panicked Nick, recalling his Pokémon. Jay did the same and they turned to run, only to find they could not move from the spot; it was as if they were floating in mid-air.

'No…!'

The three ghosts came darting towards them, clutching the ball of dark energy between their six arms. The boys closed their eyes, bracing themselves for what was to come. A guttural moan filled the room, the walls and floor shaking at the sheer volume of it. The Duskull suddenly stopped in their tracks, only a few feet from the trapped trainers, and disappeared. This booming voice seemed to have warned them away. The boys could do nothing but look at the room dissolve into darkness again. Suddenly, however, they began to fall through the dark space, tossing and turning through the shadows.

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Nick opened his eyes. His head was throbbing; he must have hit it when he had landed on the cold, stony ground. He struggled to his feet to find he was aching all over. He rubbed his groggy head and took in the surroundings. He was at the top of a small flight of stairs, with nothing but walls surrounding his other three directions. A mysterious twilight was lighting the way forward, although it did not seem to have a source.

'Jay?' he called.

The darkness did not reply.

'Jay, are you there?'

Nothing. He slowly and cautiously began to walk down the steps, on the verge of tears. He would never have imagined a hell such as this existing during his days in Twinleaf Town. He thought of his parents; as much as his home life had not been happy recently, he would have given everything to go back to it at this point. The tunnel ahead was just like the one they had entered through. He followed it, his steps getting quicker and quicker, searching for Jay, or the exit, or any sort of answer to this torturous riddle. His heart leapt with joy when he saw the outline of Jay standing in his path.

'Jay, there you are!'

He received no answer, but ran forward to reunite with his rival.

'Are you alright?' he chirped.

Jay stepped forward into the dim light and, after a moment of silence, Nick's smile faded and he stepped back. Jay's eyes seemed empty, his face sinisterly expressionless. He stood rigidly, staring into Nick's eyes.

'…Jay?' croaked Nick.

Jay suddenly lifted both of his arms and released a beam of blue power, burning Nick and throwing him backwards. He hit his head off of the ground again, but before he could even sit up, he found himself being lifted into the air by Jay – with one hand. He was pinned against the wall, cold fingers tightening around his throat.

'W-Why… W-What are you…' he gasped.

The light was fully on Jay's almost demonic face, his eyes tightening coldly. Nick had no choice; he let go of Jay's wrists and reached for a Poké Ball. He dropped it, and Elekid appeared in a flash.

'El… Thund… Thunderbo…'

He prayed that his Pokémon understood the command and, to his relief, it did. A blinding yellow flash and deafening crackle blasted Jay away. Nick dropped to the floor and looked at his rival flying through the air and skidding along the floor. From his chest, a flickering, purple flame rose into the air, and zoomed away along the tunnel. He rushed to Jay and kneeled by his side. The boy spluttered and gasped, and sat up quickly.

'What happened?' he coughed.

'I think… I think you were possessed…' mused Nick, helping his friend to his feet.

'Possessed?' asked the boy, dusting himself off, 'By what?'

Nick looked ahead down the passage.

'Whatever just went that way…'

'Nick, I don't like this place. I don't think we should have trusted the Elder.' admitted Jay, looking at the wall.

'I know. Let's get out of here.' Nick replied, quietly satisfied that he had essentially been the cleverer of the two.

He recalled Elekid and they continued through the ruins, expecting more Duskull – or something worse – to leap out at them at any time, or spirit them away. At this thought, Nick was reminded of something that almost made him sick.

_Skorupi._

He said nothing, and fought back tears of sorrow and anguish. Was his poison-type gone forever? It would not obey him, but he had never intended to give up on it. He hoped that, wherever it now was, it was not suffering, and knew that he was thinking of it. Eventually, a doorway came into view at the end of the tunnel, with light shining through it.

'Is it a way out?' asked Jay anxiously.

'It doesn't look like daylight…' replied Nick slowly, 'But we have no choice – let's go.'

They walked into the blinding light, which faded as soon as they entered the new room. A new light shone, like the one that had lit the room during the Duskull encounter. This room was similarly spacious, only with a white marble altar in the centre. On top of it sat a large stone with a strange design emblazoned on it.

'Who could have built this place?' asked Jay. His tone seemed to hold more pleading than curiosity, desperate for an answer, for this to end.

They approached the stone, expecting something to happen. But nothing did. It sat motionless, doing nothing but look mysterious. Nick stared at it intently.

'Nick…' muttered Jay.

'Yeah?'

'Look…'

He turned to look behind them; the door had vanished. They looked at it in silence before Jay snapped.

'I am sick of this!' he cried, screaming to the roof. Nick almost jumped in fright.

'Jay, calm down…'

'No! This isn't fair! I want it all to end! End!'

He turned around and, in anger, swung a kick at the pillar holding up the stone. It fell sideways and smashed, debris cracking from it and rolling across the floor.

'Jay, that's enough!' roared Nick, grabbing the other boy by the shoulders and shaking him. He quietened, his eyes transfixed on something else, the colour draining from his face. Nick turned to see what it was. The marked stone was floating in the air; it had not fell to the ground with the platform it had been placed on. The designs were glowing a brilliant blue, and it began to rattle violently, the moan that had scared the Duskull echoing through the room again. The trainers watched in silent horror as a translucent, purple substances crept from a crack in the stone. It expanded a few feet in diameter, before beginning to swirl like a vortex. Two crescent-like eyes appeared on the surface, staring wickedly, before a gaping, crooked mouth opened beneath them. It moaned once more.

'What is that thing!' shrieked Jay, stepping back in fear.

Nick lifted the Pokédex slowly.

'Spiritomb, the Forbidden Pokémon. Legends state that this ghost- and dark-type Pokémon was formed by the union of malevolent spirits, but bound to an Odd Keystone for misdeeds. Frightening, and with no weaknesses, Spiritomb has been documented as one of the rarest and most powerful Pokémon in Sinnoh.'

The boys looked up at the monster in silence.

'Malevolent…'

'…spirits?'

This was confirmed as an immense Shadow Ball crashed into the floor, blasting a huge crater and tossing the trainers across the room. As the dust settled, they looked at Spiritomb again. It was laughing, its swirling face a picture of evil.

'We gotta get away from it!' spluttered Nick, getting up and helping Jay to his feet.

'Look, the door is back!' exclaimed Jay in reply.

Sure enough, the exit had reappeared. They darted from where they stood as another burning Shadow Ball crashed into the ground and ran back into the darkness of the tunnel. Looking over his shoulder, Nick could see Spiritomb coming after them, floating slowly behind them. Beads of cold sweat flew off his face as he and Jay ran. He tried not to think about the fact that he knew that this tunnel led to a dead end; just now he wanted to get away from the ghost coming after them. However, far in the distance, there now seemed to be another door, with what looked like natural light seeping through it.

'Look! The exit!' he called to Jay, who had also noticed and had increased his speed.

With what was now a mixture of hope and fear burned inside him as they got closer and closer to the light. To his dismay, however, the light started to fade again, and the Duskull made an unwelcome reappearance, drifting out of the walls and blocking their path. They skidded to a halt.

'Not again!' cried Jay, 'Luxio! Take 'em out!'

Luxio appeared and shot a spear of lightning at the ghosts, only for it to bounce off of an invisible wall they had created and hit Luxio, which was knocked out by its own attack. The skull creatures started hauntingly, hardly moving.

'Elekid, Thunderbolt!' burst Nick as his electric-type appeared again. Its attack was similarly futile; the bolt dissolved upon contact. It appeared that the Duskull could not be harmed.

'It's useless…' he sighed. He turned around to see Spiritomb approaching, its laughing reverberating through the tunnel, echoing menacingly. 'I think we're gonna have to battle it.'

'Nick, we can't battle that thing!' cried Jay, 'It's one of the strongest known Pokémon, we can't hope to take it out!'

'We have to at least try, there's no other choice!' snapped Nick. 'Send out all of your Pokémon and we'll go for one almighty shot!'

Jay hesitated before releasing his other two Pokémon. Nick released his too, and both humans and trainers glared determinedly at the Spiritomb, their fists clenched.

'Spiri-tooooomb!' it howled.

'Everyone! Now!' the boys commanded in unison.

A spectrum of electricity, ice, stone, acid and sharp wind soared over the no-man's-land between them and the overbearing ghost. It did not seem to react, and just as the attacks made contact, a blinding light hid everything from view. Nick closed his eyes and wondered if it was all over, or if Spiritomb would reappear moments later and launch the final move. He opened his eyes to find his vision had returned. Spiritomb was nowhere to be seen, nor were the Duskull, and the evening twilight beckoned them from outside. Without words, they recalled their Pokémon and slowly stepped outside into the cool night air. The trees around the area did not seem as imposing as when they had first arrived. They descended the steps into the clearing and Nick broke the silence.

'Skorupi… I can't leave without Skorupi.'

No sooner had he said these words than a flicker of light caught his eye, but not that of the twinkling stars or full moon. He looked up to see his missing Pokémon floating slowly down to earth, surrounded by the same haze it had been carried away in.

'Skor… Skorupi!' he exclaimed. He went to catch it mid-fall, but it avoided his grasp and dropped to the ground, looking away moodily.

'I guess some things never change.' grinned Jay kindly.

'Yeah…' smiled Nick, recalling the Pokémon. 'But where did it come from?'

The two boys looked around the area, but found no answer to the question. Jay, however, was sure he caught a brief glimpse of a small, cloaked skull hide behind a tree. He chose not to say anything; he was probably imagining it.

'I don't know what happened in there, or how we escaped, but I'm just glad it's over.' sighed Jay, taking a deep breath.

'I guess Spiritomb wasn't so tough after all… we just had to stand up to it and we won.'

'Do you want to go camp beside Lake Valor?'

Nick looked back at the nightmarish ruins.

'Yes. Yes I do.'

Laughing nervously, they moved away between the trees and out of the sight of the figure that was watching them from the shadows of the ruins.

'Good…'

The Elder limped out from the shadows, followed by a vortex-like Pokémon.

'I'm glad there are brave young trainers who will face their fears instead of running from them. I'm sure they will go on to do great things…'

A breeze came dancing through the trees, making her walking stick rattle.

'…unlike the last few, who will forever wander, lost, in the dark.'


	20. A Sky High Firefight

'Smells good.' smiled Nick.

'Just a little longer.' replied Jay, poking at the sizzling rice and vegetables in the stove.

It was the perfect day for breakfast by Lake Valor. The cloudless canvas of sky was painted bright blue, a hot but not uncomfortable sun glistening in the water's reflections. Battling against Spiritomb had given Nick an appetite, and Jay's plentiful supplies were a pleasant surprise.

'I stocked up while we were in Pastoria.' the chef grinned as the other boy surveyed his stocks.

'Good idea… I need to start doing that…' sighed Nick, his stomach rumbling in agreement. He had mainly been eating at Pokémon Centres, but they could be few and far between.

'We'll go have a proper meal in Canalave.' said Jay, spooning the prepared dish into paper bowls.

'Sounds great.' replied Nick, taking the meal from his friend. He looked across at the Pokémon who were sitting by the water eating berries they had found in the surrounding greenery. They sat close together, smiling, apart from Skorupi, who was perched in a nearby tree, its back turned to the scene.

'I wish Skorupi would get to know us…' said Nick sadly.

Jay turned to look at the moody scorpion.

'I'm sure it will come around.'

'I sure hope so…'

He went to take a mouthful when something long and red sprang from out of nowhere, wrapped itself around the food and pulled it away. He fell backwards in surprise and, righting himself, saw a rotund, pink figure standing in the direction that his breakfast had flew away in.

'What the…?'

The creature's tiny eyes were closed with glee as it chewed on the rice. Stubby arms and legs protruded from its ball-like torso and, swallowing its stolen snack, a tongue rolled out of its mouth to the ground.

'What Pokémon is _that_?'

'Lickilicky.' replied the Pokédex, 'It attacks by wrapping its long tongue around its opponents. Its tongue is coated in a saliva that causes numbness.

Nick looked up from the electronic screen, scowling.

'You ate my food!' he bellowed.

The creature looked indifferent, turning its eyes from Nick to Jay's bowl. With another stretch of its tongue, it swallowed it hole.

'And mine!' gasped the other trainer.

'Lick-eeeee!' it cried nasally.

Nick ran at the Pokémon, only for its tongue to sweep the floor and trip him up, before flicking him. He rolled back and landed at Jay's feet like a defeated Pokémon.

'I'll sort this out,' declared Jay, 'Arbok, Bite!'

The cobra slithered from its eating place and sprang at its chubby foe. It sank its fangs into its belly but did not penetrate the skin; its resilient epidermis sprang back into shape, sending Arbok the same way as Nick, landing on top of Jay. The trainer and snake stumbled back, knocking over the stove and spilling what was left of the food.

'Lick-eee, lick-eee!' laughed the creature, turning and waddling into the forest.

'So… Canalave?' groaned Jay from under his crumpled Pokémon.

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The sound of their rumbling stomachs was muted by the calls of wild Pokémon as they followed the water towards Solaceon Town. Flying-types soared overhead and Magikarp occasionally leapt from the water, flailing and contorting before hitting the surface in an undignified manner.

'I'm so hungry…' moaned Nick.

'If I ever find that Lickilicky again…' replied Jay.

Nick forced a laugh. He was beginning to sweat a little in the morning heat. As they made their way, another person came into view, walking towards them with a small creature skipping by her side. Upon closer look, it was a girl, around the same age as the two boys. Thick brown hair hung to her shoulders and curled around her pretty face, large blue eyes smiling as she walked nearer. The green, plant-like Pokémon by her side was chirping merrily.

'Hello.' she beamed as they stopped opposite each other.

'Hi!' barked Jay, almost pushing in front of Nick to reply. 'I'm Jay, what's your name?'

'My name is Mel. I'm a Pokémon Trainer.' she smiled, looking slightly taken aback at Jay's behaviour.

'Me too!' gasped Jay in a ridiculous tone, 'It's great to meet another trainer!'

'I'm also a trainer.' sighed Nick, walking out from behind his love-struck friend. 'My name is Nick.'

'Hey, Nick.' she smiled sweetly. 'Oh, and this is Budew.'

'Buh-doo!' squeaked the smiling bud monster.

'What a cool Pokémon!' laughed Jay. Nick cringed.

'Er… Thank you.' replied Mel, scratching the back of her head. 'I was wondering if one of you boys wanted to have a battle with me?'

'I would love t-'

'No, Jay,' interrupted Nick, 'Arbok is still weak from earlier, remember? You would be at a disadvantage, which wouldn't be fair.'

'But I…' stuttered the other boy, speechless.

'Will you battle with me, Nick?' asked the girl, blinking with long, dark eyelashes.

'Sure.' he nodded. He couldn't help but admire her beauty, but he was more interested in pitting his Pokémon against hers.

_He'd probably have let her win_, he thought as he caught a glimpse of Jay, sulking under a tree as the two combatants paced backwards to make room for the match.

'We'll use two Pokémon each!' called Mel. 'I choose Budew!'

The grass-type teetered forwards. It growled, but remained sweet and not intimidating.

'Nosepass, I choose you!'

The rock-type burst from the thrown Poké Ball and landed with a thud.

'Rock against grass… great strategy.' muttered Jay.

Nick knew of this disadvantage, but suspected that Mel was a new, inexperienced trainer. He wanted to go easier on her.

'You can go first.'

'Thanks!' she smiled back, before her face turned into a determined frown.

'Budew, Bullet Seed!'

Budew's top opened and an array of glowing seeds shot at Nosepass. The rock-type took the hits, but soon regained its focus.

'Well done, Budew!'

'Doo!'

Nick pointed forwards.

'Nosepass, Stone Edge!'

Leaping into the air, Nosepass sent jagged rocks flying towards Budew. The grass-type's eyes widened in fear as the crashed down around it and hid it in a whirlwind of dust.

'Budew…' whimpered Mel.

Nick felt a small jolt of guilt. The dust settled and Budew teetered back and forth, dazed and injured.

'Can you attack again?' begged the girl.

The little Pokémon closed its eyes, as though focusing for its life, and released more seeds. They were feebler now, many of them burning out before getting anywhere near the rock creature.

'Finish this with Thunder Wave!' commanded Nick.

Electricity crackled around Nosepass' nose before extending to whip Budew. With a high-pitched squeal, the bud was defeated.

'Budew, return.' sighed Mel sadly, holding out a Poké Ball.

'I'm sorr-'

He cut himself off.

_Why am I apologising for winning?_ he laughed in his head.

'Alright, time for my next Pokémon!' cried the girl, throwing another ball into the air. 'Carnivine, I choose you!'

In a green flash, another plant-like monster appeared. Its round head was lined with fangs that overlapped its face, jagged leaves and vines making up its body.

'It's a Carnivine!' exclaimed Jay, emerging from his moody reclusiveness. 'I've read about them. They hang from trees with their mouths open and release a sweet aroma to attract prey, and then…'

'And then…?' pleaded Nick.

'…they chomp.'

He looked at the opponent; it opened its mouth and pulled its head back until it was parallel with its bottom lip before snapping shut and staring with unsettling eyes.

'Be careful, Nosepass…' warned Nick, thinking that Carnivine would be much more of a threat than Budew.

'Alright, use Vine Whip!' called Mel.

The monster's vines extended and came darting at Nosepass.

'Stone Edge!'

More rocks appeared and fell at Carnivine, who effortlessly weaved past them and struck the rock-type. The big-nosed monster growled in pain.

'Nosepass!' cried Nick. 'Try Thunder Wave!'

The electricity shot at the grass-type. With a simple whip of its vines, the attack fizzled out.

'Now,' grinned Mel, 'Bite!'

Moving faster, Carnivine leapt into the air, opened its jaws and clamped itself on Nosepass' head.

'Power Whip!'

Its vines began to glow and pulsate and, as its foe ran around frantically trying to dislodge it, they smashed into its sides. After a burst of light, Carnivine laughed menacingly at the unconscious Nosepass lying before it.

'Whoa! What was that?' exclaimed Nick, recalling his defeated friend.

'Power Whip, it's one of the strongest known grass-type moves.' answered Jay.

Nick gulped. Mel was obviously a more powerful trainer than he had given her credit for.

_What would be good against a grass-type?_ he wondered. And then it came to him.

'Skorupi, go!'

'Oh, brother…' sighed Jay.

Skorupi appeared, yawned loudly, then looked at Carnivine in apathy. Mel took a step back; she seemed perturbed by the Pokémon.

'What's wrong?' he asked.

'I… don't like bugs…' she stammered.

'Nick does,' began Jay, his signature grin crawling across his face, 'But they don't like him.'

Nick shot Jay a stern look, but the latter was looking away.

'Alright, Skorupi,' he began, 'Use Poison Sting!'

His fears were confirmed when the creature, as was common, did not respond.

Not again…

'Skorupi!' he bellowed, 'I'm tired of this – attack, now!'

Skorupi sensed his raised voice and turned its head to look at him, glaring. He took a step back like Mel had.

'…Please?'

Skorupi turned back, but simply stretched its mouth into another yawn and started sniffing at the ground.

'Why isn't your Skorupi doing what you tell it to?' said Mel. Her innocence and curiosity made its reluctance all the more embarrassing. They waited in an awkward silence as Skorupi began to scuttle around, observing the area, paying no attention to its pleading trainer.

'Well, if you're not going to attack, we will!' snapped Mel. 'Carnivine, Power Whip!

Carnivine's vines began to glow again and slammed into the ground around Skorupi. The scorpion was knocked into the air and fell to the ground with a crash. It pulled itself to its feet, angered. It narrowed its eyes at the foe.

'Alright!' smiled Nick, 'Skorupi, let's do this! Use Bite!'

Skorupi attacked but, as opposed to biting, let loose a jet of glowing-hot barbs.

'That's not Bite, that's Poison Sting!' blurted Nick, unsure of whether to be happy or annoyed with his ally.

'Carnivine, dodge with Faint Attack!'

Before it was stung, the flytrap creature vanished from site. Skorupi scanned the area in search of its opponent, but was damaged once more as Carnivine appeared from nowhere and tackled it.

'Skorupi! Fight! Use Pin Missile again!'

Skorupi struggled to its feet and, with what appeared to be its last ounce of strength, fired more missiles at Carnivine.

'Carnivine! Finish it with Magical Leaf!'

Carnivine smiled and, with a wave of its vines, released a flurry of glowing leaves that melted the Pin Missile attack and honed in on Skorupi, slicking at its weak body and bringing it to the ground.

'Skorupi…'

Nick held out the Poké Ball and recalled his fallen ally. The defeat was more disappointing than usual; had it finally started to listen to him, only to be beaten? Mel approached and held out her delicate hand.

'Great battle.'

He looked into her big round eyes for a moment before smiling and shaking her hand.

'Thanks. It was.'

'Your Carnivine is very strong.' said Jay inquisitively.

'It was my father's.' replied the girl, her smile fading. She turned to the grass-type, thanked it, and returned it to its Poké Ball. 'He died a few months ago.'

'Oh, I'm sorry.' said Jay, looking towards the lake.

'He took me out to the forest on my birthday, even though he was very ill, and caught Budew for me as a present.' continued the girl, looking at the ground. 'He let all of his Pokémon go, except for the first one he ever captured – Carnivine. He gave me its Poké Ball on his deathbed and told me to go on a journey, like he had in the past, and to train my Pokémon well and learn from the experience.'

She looked up and smiled at the boys.

'I'm going to make him proud.'

Nick smiled.

'The way you battle, you already are.'

The girl nodded to the boys and bid them farewell, hoping to meet them again in future. They watched her as she walked away, disappearing around the bend of the trees and out of sight.

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The sky was a blanket of clouds by the time they reached Solaceon Town, a small settlement they had decided to visit en route to Canalave. They stood at the gates and observed the area. It was not unlike Pastoria City, only the ground was dry and dusty, the grass patchy and thin. Wooden houses with boarded porches and sidewalks lined a wide central road, white picket fences forming little gardens between the homes and the surrounding forest area. Farmers and workers walked the streets, most of them wearing denim and wide-brimmed hats.

'What is there to do here?' asked Nick, looking to his travelling partner.

'I'm not sure.' he replied. 'Let's look at the road signs.'

He approached a small sign by the town gates and leaned over to inspect it.

'We could go visit the Pokémon Breeding Ranch.' he offered after a moment.

'What's that?'

Jay turned back to him.

'It's where they breed and raise infant Pokémon for adoption. It might help your Pokédex.'

'Sounds good to me!' laughed Nick, and they set off.

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It did not take long to find the ranch. A large bungalow acted as the entrance, and behind it was a huge field surrounded by a fence and dotted with barns and sheds. They leaned on the fence and looked over; several tiny Pokémon were frolicking in the open space, chasing each other and being fed by an elderly woman.

'They're all so cute.' smiled Nick, instantly regretting what he had said. He was relieved when Jay agreed. They almost didn't notice a little creature waddling towards them and looking up.

'Pi-pi!' it squeaked.

'Hey, it's a Piplup!' exclaimed Jay.

'A what?'

'Piplup,' explained the Pokédex as he opened it, 'It is a rare Pokémon that came to the Sinnoh Region from northern countries. It is proud and difficult to bond with.'

He looked down at the blue penguin-like creature. Its black eyes glistened as it stared at him in curiosity.

'Hey, little guy.' he sniggered, offering a friendly hand and thinking that it did not seem too hard to bond with it.

'Pi-Piplup!'

The penguin jumped and nibbled his finger gently.

'I see you've met Piplup.' came a voice. For a moment, Nick thought that the Pokémon had talked, but, turning around, he saw an old man smiling at him. He was slightly hunched and balanced himself on a long staff, a thick white moustache and beard erupting from his wrinkled face.

'Huh?'

'Piplup doesn't usually take kindly t' strangers.' continued the old man with a wheezing laugh. 'Y'all must be fine Pokémon trainers.'

Nick and Jay looked at each other with a shy laugh.

'How did you know we were trainers?'

'Oh, I've been in this business too long not to know trainers when I see 'em.' coughed the old man.

The boys laughed.

'I'm Nick, and this is Jay.'

'It's nice to meet y'all.' said the old man from behind his facial hair. 'I'm Chuck, and that's m' wife Merrie out there in the field.'

They turned to look at the woman in the distance, who was feeding a smiling pink creature from a bottle.

'Would y'all like to come in?' asked Chuck. 'I've just made tea and I'm sure growing boys like you wouldn't say no to a sandwich or two.'

Nick's stomach rumbled _yes please_ before he could even verbally accept the offer.

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The tea was much nicer than that of the old woman from Lake Verity. They happily drank it between sandwiches; Merrie had prepared a mountain of them in very little time. She was as pleasant as her husband. Her face was wizened but had evidently been beautiful in the past, several grey hairs creeping into her tight brown bun. From the moment he had sank into the armchair, a small red animal had been rubbing its head against Nick's legs in an affectionate manner.

'So where are y'all from?' she asked, sipping from a cup that she had put a lot of sugar into.

'Sandgem and Twinleaf.' replied Jay. 'We're both challenging gyms, and Nick is working on a Pokédex.'

The couple's eyebrows raised slightly, and they looked at each other with a smile.

'You must know Professor Rowan then!'

'Uh, yeah, I do.' smiled Nick. 'He set me up with my first Pokémon, Elekid, and gave me my Pokédex.'

'Ah, that takes me back.' sighed Chuck, sitting back in his chair. 'I remember when he and Professor Drasil were making the Pokédex.'

'Tragic, what happened to that man.' added Merrie.

Nick nearly spat out his tea at the mention of the name. Professor Drasil; Rowan's assistant that had gone missing.

'Tragic? Do you know what happened to him?'

'No, of course not,' replied Merrie, 'But he came by here the night before he went missing.'

Nick's eyes widened.

'Really?'

'Why of course, don't you believe me?' continued the old woman. 'We're old acquaintances of the professor and we met Drasil while he was travellin' as Rowan's apprentice. Years later, he visited us; he said was goin' to explore the forest area beyond this town. He was restless, and he didn't seem to be payin' much attention to us. He sat in silence most of the time, hardly answerin' our questions and mutterin' about old myths and the darkness between the trees.'

She sipped her tea.

'He did say one particular thing that remains in my mind t' this here day.

'What did he say?' said Nick, leaning forward in eagerness. The fox-like animal at his feet had began pawing at his leg, but he paid no attention to it.

'He said,' continued Merrie, 'That if somethin' happened to him, it was nobody's fault.'

At these words, silence fell throughout the room.

'Just what he meant,' said the woman, breaking the still, 'I don't know.'

Nick looked to Jay. The boy widened his eyes in respect of the story, but then Nick remembered his rival did not know of Professor Drasil. He had not been present when the name had arisen in the past. The red Pokémon leapt onto his lap and changed the subject of the conversation.

'Merrie, what is this?' he asked, afraid to touch it. He had learned that Pokémon were such powerful, surprising creatures that one would be foolish to approach them without knowledge of their behaviour or abilities.

'Oh, don't mind her,' laughed Merrie, 'That's Vulpix. Seems that she likes you. You can stroke her, but don't touch her tail, she won't take kindly to that.'

Nick slowly raised his hand and ran his fingers along the Pokémon's back. Its fur was the softest thing he had ever felt, pleasantly warm to touch. Curls of beautiful orange fur sat upon its head.

'Vul!' it barked happily.

He held the Pokédex before it.

'Vulpix, the Fox Pokémon. It is born with just one tail, which splits into six as it grows older. It is a fire-type Pokémon that can control orbs of flame.'

'A fire-type…?' he gasped, suddenly cautious of having it so close to him. No sooner had this fear entered his mind than the creature sneezed, coughing out a small ember that singed his eyebrows. Jay laughed hysterically as Nick patted his face.

'Careful – it's hot to handle.' chortled Chuck.

'Hang on,' started Nick, rubbing his eyebrows as Vulpix went to sleep on his lap, 'Didn't the Pokédex say that Vulpix was supposed to have six tails?'

'We found Vulpix by the roadside just outside of town a few months ago.' sighed Merrie, standing up and approaching the window. 'It was dark and cold, and the rain was fallin'. It seemed hurt, but not as though it had been in a Pokémon battle; no, the poor thing was really injured, as if a trainer hadn't been takin' care of it. We reckon they abandoned it.'

Nick looked down at the snoozing creature. The warmth it radiated was making him sleepy too.

'Who could do such a thing to such a nice Pokémon?'

'I don't know but, as Pokémon breeders, we took her in.' continued the storyteller. 'She was timid and angry at first, and it took us a heck of a long time to get her to trust us. I think the sadness and pain she's experienced has stunted her growth – what I mean is, it's stopped her from growin' more fancy tails.'

'It's a cruel world out there, that's fer sure.' sighed Chuck.

'But,' added Merrie, 'We think she must have came from far away – she knows an attack called Flame Burst, somethin' that Pokémon around these parts ain't never been seen doin'.'

Vulpix yawned as Nick stroked its curls. Jay noisily washed down his sandwich with the last of his tea.

'Why don't you spend the night here?' asked the man. 'You can help us with the Pokémon and fill yer stomachs.'

'Oh… Thanks, but I think we're going to get going to Canalave.' replied Nick politely. 'A friend is waiting there.'

He thought of Pearl; her shining black hair, her confident, blue eyes, and the egg she had allegedly found…

'Don't be silly, we can stay here.' tutted Jay. 'How often do you get to visit a ranch?'

'Exactly.' nodded Merrie, still looking out the window. Her eyes rested on Piplup, who was blowing bubbles into the breeze.

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Nick walked into the living room and slumped into the same chair as before with a sigh that almost expelled all of the air out of him. He wiped a cold sweat from his forehead with a raw hand. Jay collapsed onto the opposite chair.

'I am _exhausted_.'

'Me too,' replied Nick, 'Who'd have thought helping on a ranch would be so hard?'

They had helped Chuck mend the fence and Pokémon hutch, dug the earth and planted vegetables and trees for Merrie, and rescued a timid Buneary from the branch of a tall oak. It was now between dusk and darkness, and the ranch owners were giving the young ones their night-time feed.

'I'll sleep tonight.' muttered Jay, almost dozing off.

'Vul! Vul!'

Nick looked at the open door to see the fox creature trotting in. It sat by his feet, gazing at him.

'Hi, Vulpix.' he smiled. 'Are you tired too?'

'Vul…' it yawned.

'Vulpix really seems to like you.' said Jay, a slight tone of jealousy in his observation.

Nick blushed and stroked the Pokémon. Suddenly, however, it stood up, back arched, and started intently at the door.

'Vulpix? Are you alright?' asked its new friend.

It did not respond as its tail stuck upright. A few moments later, it suddenly took off back to the field.

'Wonder what's up with her…'

No sooner had the words left his lips than a noise began to gradually fill the area; a juddering, breezy noise. The boys both looked at the ceiling in confusion before looking to each other. With nothing but a nod, they got to their sore feet and ran back outside on aching knees.

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A titanic armoured helicopter was descending, dropping down against the dark blue backdrop of the clouds like a frightening black spider hanging from its web. The trees rustled and the foundations of the wooden barn shook violently as the trainers ran over to the ranchers. The four gazed up in confusion and panic at the unexpected visitor.

'What is it?' cried Nick over the noise.

'I don't know!' called back Merrie.

The vehicle came to a halt some twenty feet above the ground. Moments later, a door slide open and, looking down, stood two members of Team Obsidia. They wore the usual black outfits, with bandanas covering their heads and eyebrows.

'The Solaceon Pokémon Ranch,' grinned one with a fair beard.

Chuck and Merrie scowled.

'Who are ya? What's the meanin' of this interruption?'

'How rude of us not to introduce ourselves!' laughed a sallow- but thick-skinned crook from the entrance of the helicopter. 'We're the people who are going to take the weak Pokémon from this ranch and sell 'em to dumb kids and women!'

The baby creatures turned and huddled together by Merrie's dress, several of them whining in fear.

'Take the Pokémon? Who do you think y'all are?' spluttered Chuck, his question ending in a cough.

'They're Team Obsidia!' roared Nick. 'They're a group of criminals who only care about making money through Pokémon!'

The bearded man closed his eyes and smirked.

'You think that's what we're all about? Our leader has far greater plans than that.'

'Like what?'

The man opened his eyes and his smile faded for a moment.

'Well, I… it's none of your business!' he cried back. Nick got the impression that he did not know, as though he were a lowly grunt who was not worthy of knowing Team Obsidia's intentions.

'Anyway!' shouted the other man, 'Time for us to take the goods!'

A wide steel tube appeared from the bottom of the aircraft and, suddenly, the cacophony doubled in intensity; the tube was acting as a powerful vaccum. The ranchers and trainers watched in horror as the infant Pokémon were pulled from the ground; the squealing Piplup was the first to go, followed by Turtwig and Pichu. Chimchar gripped onto Merrie's motherly hands but was eventually stolen from her grip, while Happiny and Buneary clung to each other as they were taken into the machine.

'Stop it! Stop it now!' shrieked Merrie, shaking her clenched fists at the villains.

'Nick, we need to stop this!' cried Jay.

'Right!' agreed the other boy, withdrawing a Poké Ball. 'I choose y-'

'Wait!' interjected Chuck. 'If y'all use Pokémon that aren't heavy enough to withstand this gust, they'll be sucked up there too!'

Nick's stomach jolted at the thought of the mistake he was about to have made. He put the Poké Ball back in his pocket, and thought. Then it came to him.

'Nosepass! I choose you!'

The Poké Ball was dragged into the air, but was forced back into Nick's hand after the rock-type landed on the earth, too weighty to be shifted.

'Stone Edge!'

'Not so fast!' spat the thin Obsidia member. He held up a black ball and, in a blue flash, a round, rough-skinned creature with protruding black horns appeared.

'Who's that Pokémon?' Nick asked the Pokédex. He found himself asking half out of interest in such a strange creature, half out of desire to know more about the foe before battling.

'Glalie, the Face Pokémon, and one of the evolved forms of Snorunt.' he heard the device say through the noise. 'It can freeze the air around it. It uses this ability to turn its prey to ice, and then eats it in a leisurely fashion.'

The pointed stones were shattered by a beam of glowing ice particles emanating from Glalie's mouth. It cut through the breeze and froze Nosepass solid.

'Nosepass! No!' cried the trainer. He ran over to the Pokémon and threw his arms around it, only to be burned by the unbearably cold ice. He fell to the ground.

'Vul!'

Vulpix appeared from nowhere and stood before him, its eyes wide and worried.

'I'm fine. Thanks.' he groaned, rubbing his injured hands together.

Vulpix blew fire onto Nosepass, thawing it from its frosty prison. The ice melted in seconds, but the rock-type collapsed, defeated. Vulpix then ran below Obsidia's helicopter, barking furiously. It reared its head back and spat out a ball of intense flames that lit the whole area.

'Put it out!' snarled the man with the beard.

The tube moved and the force of the air extinguished the fox's fire. The canine started to float upwards.

'Vulpix, no!' cried Merrie, tears now running down her old face.

With a sudden rush of adrenaline through his veins, Nick got to his feet, ran towards Vulpix and, with a jump, grabbed onto it. He clung to its warm midriff and sheltered it from the vortex.

'Turn up the power! I want every last one!' came a demented voice from above.

His eyes were closed, but Nick suddenly felt his feet leave the ground. He knew what was happening, but would not let go of the innocent Pokémon. His friends below cried his name as he was lifted into the tube, and the helicopter took off at speed.

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He fell onto solid ground and, after rolling, hit his head against a cold wall. He slowly opened his eyes to find himself in a corner of the vehicle. Behind him, the stolen Pokemon were confined in cages, many of them crying. Vulpix was nowhere to be seen; they had become separated while in the vacuum. He turned the corner of the huge machine he had arrived via, and found himself looking at the two men across a spacious control room.

'Seems we have an unwelcome guest!' laughed the bearded one, wickedly.

'Guess there's nothing to do but finish him off.' added the skinny man with malice.

Nick's body ached. His clothes were torn and tattered, and he could tell he was bleeding in several places, but he did not back down.

'Bring it on…' he said weakly, trying hard to maintain consciousness. 'Elekid, go!'

He threw the ball forward and Elekid entered the battle.

'El! Ele-kid!' it growled.

'Glalie, freeze it like you did to the other one!' growled the grunt.

'Glay-leee!' howled the monster as it shot another Ice Beam.

'Elekid, dodge it, and use Thunderbolt!'

Elekid narrowly avoided the ice and, clenching its fist, struck Glalie with a roaring whip of lightning. The Face Pokémon closed its eyes and winced in pain, but was undeterred by the time the electrical attack subsided.

'Try Thunderpunch!'

Elekid ran forwards and smashed its crackling fist into its icy foe. It fell back and skidded along the floor for a moment before jumping back into battle, floating sinisterly.

'Enough of this!' roared the ice-type's trainer. 'Glalie, Sheer Cold!'

Glalie closed its eyes again and its body began to tremble violently. Seconds later, its eyes opened, glowing a brilliant white, and a wave of almost visible cold air blew through the room. Elekid took the hit and collapsed, shivering. The attack faded before Nick felt the full effect, but it weakened him to the edge of consciousness.

'Elekid… no…'

He recalled the electric-type to its Poké Ball.

'Time to say goodnight…' grimaced the man.

Glalie opened its mouth and a crystalline ball of ice energy began to form in front of it. Nick closed his eyes and braced himself for the final hit. Seconds later, however, he felt a wave of heat across his face and, opening an eye, saw a red flash clash with the ice. When the light faded, Vulpix stood in front of him. It was injured, but looked back with a smile.

'Vulpix, you're alright!' he exclaimed with a wide smile.

'Vul, Vul!' it barked happily. 'Vulpix, Vul!'

Nick somehow understood.

'You… want to battle for me?'

'Vul!'

He smiled again.

'Alright, let's go!'

The two members of Team Obsidia laughed evilly.

'What a touching moment. Pity it's going to be short-lived! Glalie, Ice Beam!'

Vulpix quickly leaped out of the way of the attack and landed with a growl, arching its back once more.

'Hmmm, what can Vulpix do…?' muttered Nick, opening the Pokédex.

'Vulpix's attacks are as follows:' it began. 'Quick Attack.'

'Vulpix, use Quick Attack!'

The little fox dashed around the room at a great speed, avoiding the bursts of ice that Glalie fired at it. The ice creature and its trainer grew frustrated, the grunt's hairy face turning red.

'Gah! Use Crunch!' he spat.

'Glaaay!'

It dashed at Vulpix and crashed into the ground, but the fox was too agile.

'Will-O-Wisp.' continued the Pokédex.

'Use Will-O-Wisp, Vulpix!' ordered Nick.

Stopping in its tracks, Vulpix spat several orbs of blue flame that circled around the dazed Glalie. They hissed and licked at the foe.

'Yes! It's working!' cheered Nick.

The grunt looked as though he was about to erupt with fury.

'Enough! Glalie, use Sheer Cold and finish it!'

'No!' gasped Nick. He racked his brain to remember the special attack that Vulpix knew as Glalie shook and began to build up another wall of freezing wind.

_Flame Blast? Flame Curse? Flame Rage?_

And then it came to him.

'Vulpix, use Flame Burst!'

The ball of fire smashed through the icy barrier and collided with Glalie. It was knocked to the floor as Vulpix's attack exploded, spreading to the walls and floor of the helicopter. The trainer and Obsidia members stared, wide-eyed, as the room became an inferno.

'V-V-Vulpix! What have you…?' stuttered Nick.

'You scumbags! You've destroyed our chopper!' roared the bearded man.

He turned to the other criminal.

'We've gotta get out of here!'

'What about the ranch Pokémon?' asked the thick-skinned villain.

'Forget them! And forget this kid too!'

More grunts suddenly flooded into the room from the cockpit, all of them with parachutes strapped to their backs. They quickly threw another two over their allies.

'Golding isn't gonna be happy…'

A panel on the roof slid open and the cold night air filled the room, further aggravating the fires. With impressively high leaps, Team Obsidia soared through the roof and disappeared into the dark sky, the panel sealing behind them. Nick could feel the helicopter start to descend as the flames continued to spread. The heat and smoke stung his eyes.

'Vulpix, I think… this is it…'

He thought of Shellder, but his water-type would not be able to put out such an intense fire. He looked over at the innocent, crying infants and could feel something else in his eyes apart from the black smoke.

'I'm sorry…'

The helicopter rattled and he dropped to the floor. His hope was falling as fast as the aircraft, while thoughts of his parents, his home, his Pokémon and, strangely, Pearl rushed through his head. The fire surrounded him, burning closer and closer…

And then something happened.

With a horrific screech, something silver pierced through the steel floor, flashed through the room, and shot out of the roof, leaving a gaping hole that the smoke began to billow from. Nick looked in confusion, wondering what it had been. Moments later, Skarmory re-entered the room, followed by another white, winged Pokémon.

'Skarmory! You came to save us!'

The metal bird screeched again and, with a lightning-quick manoeuvre, sliced its wing through the cages that held the baby Pokémon. They spilled out and were collected by the white Pokémon. It perched them all on its back with a loving smile. Skarmory cawed to Nick, motioning for him to do the same. Picking up Vulpix in his arms, he sat on the bird's back and clung onto its hard neck. It took off at speed, leaving through the hole in the roof, closely followed by the creature carrying the babies. The fresh night air washed over Nick like a sea of relief, the shining stars a welcome sight. They soared high into the air and looked down at the surreal vista of the burning aircraft falling to earth like a meteorite from space. It was above the sea; he could see the surface glistening from the flames, twinkling like the lights of Hearthome City below them.

'We can't let it hit the water!' exclaimed Nick. 'It might cause a tidal wave!'

Skarmory let out a screech and the other flying creature flew towards the helicopter. With a wave of its snow-white wings, a massive ball of light appeared around the vehicle. It mystically slowed down, and Nick realised that the Pokémon was controlling the speed of its fall. He looked on, smiling, as it was safely lowered below the black surface and out of sight.

'Great job!' he called to the Pokémon. It smiled back at him before turning and taking off towards the ranch. With another metallic cry, Skarmory followed it.

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They landed back at the ranch and Nick slid and dropped from Skarmory. Standing on the ground again was fantastic, as were the smiles of friends he thought he might have never seen again.

'You're okay!' beamed Jay, running over to him.

'Yeah!' he laughed. 'Thanks for sending Skarmory. I thought I was a goner until it showed up.'

His friend continued to smile as the ranch owners approached them.

'Nick, we can't thank ya enough for helping to save our Pokémon.' wheezed Chuck, picking up Vulpix and stroking its fur.

'Well, I didn't really do anything.' he replied, blushing . 'The other Pokémon was the one that saved them.'

The winged creature was standing by the old man, kindly wrapping its soft wings around the small Pokémon that it had rescued.

'Is it your Pokémon?' asked Nick.

'Yep, this is Togekiss.' replied Chuck with a cough. 'It's a carin' Pokémon that helps us raise and look after all the young 'uns here.'

Nick admired the creature. It was cute, but also looked strong and capable.

'Are you sure you're alright, son?' asked Merrie, holding Nick's shoulders and turning his head to check for cuts and bruises.

'I'm fine, really,' he laughed, struggling slightly to escape her grasp. 'Team Obsidia got away unfortunately. The helicopter crashed into the sea.'

'Don't worry 'bout them rogues,' she said softly, 'As long as you and the Pokémon ain't hurt.'

'One day we'll stop them once and for all.' gritted Jay.

Nick looked at his partner and nodded. Suddenly, Vulpix leapt into his arms.

'You were great, Vulpix.' he smiled.

The fox returned the compliment by licking his cheek.

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The next morning, they stood outside the ranch. The air was warm and the ground dry. Skarmory yawned and stretched its razor-like wings; it was to fly them to Canalave City from here. Chuck and Merrie stood in the doorway.

'If you fly to Jubilife, you should be able to see Canalave on the coast.' said the old woman in a sleepy, croaky voice.

'Thanks,' replied Jay, climbing onto Skarmory's back and petting his Pokémon's head, 'I'm sure we'll find it with no problems.'

'You kids take care of yourselves now.' smiled Chuck. 'Good luck against the gyms, and y'all come back and visit sometime.'

'We will.' nodded Nick, timidly following Jay onto the bird. 'Thanks for your hospitality.'

Skarmory suddenly pierced the morning silence with a cry.

'Time to get going, Nick!' grinned Jay, positioning himself in a more comfortable manner.

Nick looked at the ranch. It had a raffish charm in the morning light and had, in retrospect, been a very comfortable place to stay. Something then caught his eye; Vulpix had been woken up by Skarmory's noise and came running out to join the scene.

'I think Vulpix has come to say goodbye.' observed Chuck, clearing his throat.

'Vulpix, Vul!' the fox whined, looking up at Nick with sad eyes.

'Bye, Vulpix.' he said softly. 'Thanks for your help last night.'

The Pokémon's eyes were glistening as it gazed into his eyes, its lone tail hanging forlornly at the departure of its new friend. Merrie looked between Pokémon and trainer, before taking a step forward and making a suggestion.

'Nick, please take Vulpix with you.'

'Huh?' he spluttered, looking at her. She was smiling.

'I can see that the two of you have developed a bond, and I think travelling and battling with you will help it get over its past.' she explained, crouching to stroke the Pokémon's head.

Nick felt a rush of excitement and emotion inside him. He held back tears as he spoke.

'Do you want to come with me, Vulpix?'

'Vul!'

It leapt into his arms and nuzzled the side of his face. A tear fell from his eye and into its fur, and he hoped that no one had noticed.

'I'll do my best to take care of you.'

Taking one of his two remaining empty Poké Balls from his backpack, he held it up to Vulpix's face. The fox bumped it with its nose and, in a red burst of light, was pulled into the ball. It shook for a moment and then came to a standstill, resting in the palm of his hand.


	21. Jay and Pearl's Eggcellent Battle

Skarmory's claws scraped along the concrete as they landed in Canalave, leaving jagged white lines in the concrete road. Nick let go of his rival's waist and slid off of the bird's smooth steel back. He surveyed his surroundings. A wide canal split the small city into two halves, each side clustered with stone buildings. A nearby sign indicated that the canal led to Lake Verity, and Nick smiled at the thought that he was close to home. But he had to remember why he was here.

'Let's find the gym.'

'Cool your jets!' laughed Jay, returning Skarmory to its Poké Ball. 'We've only just landed. Shouldn't we have a look around first?'

'Why?' gasped Nick, 'We're both here to get badges, and I'm on a winning streak!'

Jay grinned at him.

'Alright. Let's go challenge the leader.'

'Awesome. Where do you think the gym could be?'

'It's over there.' smirked Jay, pointing to his left.

Nick turned his head and was taken aback at the huge warehouse-like building that was right in his line of vision.

_How could I have missed it?_

'Oh yeah…'

They strolled over to its doors, Jay with his hands in his pockets. A familiar sight met them.

**GYM CLOSED FOR REFURBISHMENT.**

'Not again!' cried Nick, clenching his fists. 'Why are half of the gyms in Sinnoh suddenly closed when I want to challenge them?'

'Hey, calm down,' tutted Jay, 'And look at this.'

Underneath the announcement, some smaller words gave instruction.

**- All challenges will be held on Iron Island until the gym reopens -**

'Iron Island?' questioned Nick, looking to his companion who was hunched over reading the sign closely.

'I've no idea.'

Jay righted himself and looked into the clear morning sky.

'I guess we should head to the Pokémon Centre. I'm sure someone there will know how we can get to Iron Island.'

'Okay…' muttered Nick, quietly disappointed that he could not try for another badge right away.

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The Pokémon Centre was just like the others they had visited, only with a porch that overlooked the sea. Several trainers and their Pokémon were standing on it, leaning on the banister and gazing dreamily at the blue waves stretching out to the horizon. Nick looked at them as he and Jay walked through the gleaming glass doors, and smiled at the idea of them taking a relaxing break with their companions during their journeys. He, however, felt that he wanted to press on instead of linger. It was then that he noticed that one of the trainers, who had turned to look at him, was Pearl. He felt a strange jolt in his stomach as he led Jay out to where she stood.

'So, you finally made it to Canalave.' she said, monosyllabically.

'Uh, hi…' he stuttered in reply. 'Finally?'

'Yeah, Professor Rowan told me a few days ago that he was going to suggest you visit this city.'

'Oh, right. Do you know where Iron Island is?'

Pearl turned and pointed out towards the sea at a distant island. Silver-grey cliffs forming a wall around it.

'That's it.'

'And that's where we can challenge the gym leader?' he asked.

'Yes, that's where Donald is training.' she replied, turning back to look at him. 'He uses steel-types, so you'd better know how to penetrate strong defences.'

Nick's eyes moved from the faraway island to Pearl's arms. Before he had time to consider how he would defeat steel Pokémon, he realised that she was clutching a green egg covered in scales.

'What's that?'

'This is the egg that I found.' she sighed. 'Yeesh, didn't the professor tell you?'

'That's right, he did.' laughed Nick nervously, scratching the side of his face. 'Where did you find it?'

Pearl looked down at the egg. It was pulsating feebly, slight cracks beginning to appear around the top.

'Some loser was selling fake eggs, but this one turned out to be real. I decided to raise it properly. The nurse here said that it's very close to hatching, so I'm staying in Canalave until it does.'

The three of them gazed at the mysterious egg, each being consumed by the desire to know which Pokémon was waking up inside for the first time. Jay then broke the silence with a cough.

'Aren't you going to introduce me?'

'Oh, sorry.' smiled Nick. 'This is my friend Pearl. Pearl, this is Jay.'

He could have sworn that Pearl shot him a look at the word 'friend'.

'So, another newbie trainer?' she smirked.

Nick's eyes and mouth widened in a mischievous glee, waiting to see how his rival would react to such an accusation.

'You wanna find out how much of a newbie I am?' he asked, his brow falling into a frown as he raised a questioning hand to her, a Poké Ball in his palm.

She stared into his eyes, a flame igniting somewhere behind hers.

'Bring it on.'

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They stood by the canal outside of the Centre, the boy and girl facing each other in the salty air, Pearl's hair blowing and Jay's blond curls becoming frizzier by the minute. Nick, for the first time, was acting as a referee.

'Three Pokémon each!' he declared. 'The first trainer to defeat all of the other trainer's Pokémon wins!'

Pearl immediately sprung into action, leaping into an offensive stance and throwing a ball forward.

'Kirlia! I choose you!'

Kirlia appeared and pirouetted before emitting a long cry, its large eyes glowing blue.

'Alright, I choose Arbok!'

In another flash, the huge snake appeared, coiling itself into an intimidating pose. Its unpredictable eyes pierced those of Kirlia, who slowly moved back.

'Ha!' laughed Jay, puffing out his chest. 'Arbok's Intimidate ability lowers Kirlia's attack power!'

'That may be so,' sighed Pearl, closing her eyes and shaking her head, 'But you just sent a poison-type out against a psychic-type.'

Nick looked to Jay, expecting him to be taken aback, but found his rival to be calm and collected.

'Anyway, Kirlia!' continued Pearl, 'Let's finish this quickly! Use Psychic!'

A blue aura surrounded the Pokémon as it crossed its arms and closed its eyes in concentration. Moments later, it opened its arms and released a burning cross of energy. It seemed to be controlling the direction of the attack with its eyes.

'Arbok! Glare!' cried Jay.

The serpent's pupils glowed in a similar manner to those of Kirlia. Nick could almost see a beam appear in Arbok's line of vision as its eyes locked with those of the psychic creature. The latter was suddenly frozen in fear, its attack dissipating feet away from its opponent.

'Now, Crunch!'

Coiling itself for a moment, Arbok sprang forward, its mouth gaping and its vicious fangs shining in the midmorning light. It clamped its jaws on the paralyzed Kirlia's arm, and thick black smog spewed from the wound.

'Keeeeee!' it shrieked.

Nick winced and looked away; it was perhaps the most horrific attack he had ever seen a Pokémon use.

'Kirlia!' cried Pearl, recalling her wounded partner.

Jay crossed his arms and looked at her, a smirk on his face.

'Psychic-types may have an advantage against poison-types,' he began, 'But when the poison-type can break the concentration required and use dark-type moves like Crunch, the outcome might not be what you expect.'

'Chaaaa!' hissed Arbok, slithering back to its trainers feet.

Nick found himself smiling in surprise. This was the most impressive battling he had ever seen from Jay; he was a very worthwhile rival.

'Alright, time to get serious!' snarled Pearl, throwing another Poké Ball into the air. 'Empoleon! I choose you!'

From the ball emerged a tall Pokémon, similar to Prinplup but with steel ridged wings and stern eyes peering from behind a shining trident-like break.

'What's that?' wondered Nick out loud, turning back to the battle and taking out the Pokédex.

'Empoleon, the Emperor Pokémon, and the evolved form of Prinplup.' it announced. 'It is a proud Pokémon that dislikes fighting but, if threatened, will attack its enemy with wings that can tear through ice floes.'

'When did Prinplup evolve?' asked Nick, putting the device away.

'Not long after I arrived here.' replied Pearl, looking not at him but at her regal blue Pokémon. 'It became Empoleon during a battle with a fisherman down by the docks.'

Jay's brow flickered with worry; he did not seem as confident against this new opponent.

'Your move…' muttered Pearl, sharpening her eyes.

'Uh… Arbok, use Crunch again!'

The snake jumped high into the air and fell towards he penguin creature, opening its mouth once again to show teeth dripping a ghastly black sludge. The girl and her Pokémon did not react, both of them standing quietly, as though enjoying watching the snake fly through the air. Only when it closed its mouth around Empoleon's wing with a painful clang and screech did she bark an order.

'Steel Wing!'

The penguin instantly threw Arbok into the air before slashing it with two gleaming wings.

'Arbok…' whimpered Jay.

'Finish it with Aqua Jet!'

No sooner had it finished slicing than it joined its claws and suddenly sprang at Arbok in a vicious whirlwind of water, its spinning crown still visible. The snake was pulled into the vortex and, moments later, was thrown high into the air, landing before its foe, who placed one proud foot on its scaly body in victory.

_Empoleon is amazing!_ thought Nick.

'Arbok, return…' groaned Jay from behind closed, trembling eyes. 'Alright! You use water, I'll use electricity! Go, Luxio!'

In a burst of light, Luxio appeared, snarling and discharging static energy.

'Wow, Luxio sure looks more charged-up than usual!' remarked Nick, who was enjoying the battle tremendously.

'You better believe it.' shot back Jay, without looking at him. 'Bring it!'

Pearl regained her seriousness.

'Empoleon! Let's try Bubblebeam!'

With a loud cry, Empoleon leaned forward, opened is beak, and shot a battalion of burning bubbles at Luxio.

'Dodge 'em!'

The little lion darted from its battle stance and swayed from side to side, avoiding the explosions as the bubbles crashed into the ground surrounding it.

'Good! Now use Shock Wave!'

Leaping from the dust and debris of the water-type attack, Luxio's fur rippled before standing on end as an orb of electrical energy washed over Empoleon, knocking it a few steps back, shuddering. Its eyes were closed for a few moments until the attack dissipated but, when it opened them, they met the sight of Luxio's entire body glowing brightly.

'What's…?' whispered Jay.

'It's evolving, obviously.' sighed Pearl, shrugging and rolling her eyes, as though this was an inconvenience.

Nick walked closer to observe the proceedings, and his eyes widened when a large black lion emerged from the brightness. He was the first person that it looked at, and he felt as if its scarlet eyes could see through him, into his mind. He subconsciously moved further back as it turned to its trainer, who leaned down and affectionately ran his hand through its beautiful dark mane.

'Hi, Luxray.' he smiled.

Nick looked in awe for a minute before holding the Pokédex to Jay's new companion.

'Luxray, the Gleam Eyes Pokémon. It has the ability to see through walls and objects to locate prey or lost young.'

'Oh, so that's…'

'What?' frowned Jay.

'Nothing.'

'Hmm-hmm.' coughed Pearl from the other side of the battlefield. 'We're in the middle of a battle, remember?'

At these words, Luxio turned around and, with a terrifying roar, released a whip of lightning from its back which shot into the sky, causing rumble of thunder that was almost as loud as its battle cry.

'Let's do this!' shouted Jay over the din. 'Luxray! Thunder!'

'Counter it with Aqua Jet!'

The two fully-evolved Pokémon charged at each other, Luxray surrounding by bolts of lightning and Empoleon in a jet of water. They clashed, and there was a burst of white light that hid the whole street from view, loose discharge making the nearby water churn and froth violently. As the light and pain faded from their retinas, the three trainers gazed at the outcome; both Luxray and Empoleon were lying unconscious, each of them having had displayed the best of their power.

'Draw…' muttered Nick.

The other two recalled their Pokémon with a beam of red light.

'Good job, Luxray.' Smiled Jay at the Poké Ball. 'I know you'll get stronger and stronger in time.'

'I guess you're better than you look.' huffed Pearl.

'I'll finish you off right now!' seethed Jay in reply, throwing his last ball into the air. 'Let's do this, Skarmory!'

The armoured bird stretched its wings and cawed chillingly, relaxed and refreshed from its long flight earlier that morning. It hovered above its trainer.

'This shouldn't be a problem…' smirked Pearl. 'Wailmer, go!'

The ball whale emerged, towering over the three trainers with its row of grinning teeth grinding slyly.

'Whaaaae!'

'A Wailmer…?' gasped the boy, his eyebrows raising as high as his flying-type.

'Get over it, and let's end this.' shot Pearl.

Jay clenched his fists.

'Skarmory! Air Cutter!'

With a screech, the steel bird flew higher and, with a flap of its wings, sent a sickle-like wave of wind at Wailmer. The water-type, however, remained still as the attack bounced off of its resilient skin, unable to penetrate its blubbery defences. Jay gritted his teeth but did not give up.

'Try Peck!'

In a second, Skarmory shot at the whale like a winged bullet, its razor-sharp beak burning white-hot as it fell towards the toothy target. It crashed into Wailmer's stomach but, like Air Cutter, did no damage.

'Wailmer, Rollout.' sighed Pearl, inspecting her fingernails.

Skarmory's eyes widened in horror as the whale, with a smile, rolled forwards and on top of it.

'Skarmory! No!' panicked Jay, reaching out a hand in vain.

'Now rust its metal with Water Gun!' commanded the girl.

Wailmer, despite its size, leapt up and spewed a torrent over the bird. It landed and tumbled away, as the steel-type lay soaked and twitching.

'Wailmer wins!' announced Nick, unsure as to whether he should have been happy or sad. 'The victory goes to Pearl!'

He then noticed something he did not expect to see. Pearl, with an unmistakable smile on her face, was patting her Pokémon in congratulations.

'You're the best, Wailmer.' she beamed up at it. 'Thanks for battling for me.'

'Whaae, Whaaae!' it bellowed, patting her affectionately on the head with its huge fin. She laughed as she recalled it back into the Poké Ball, still smiling. A few moments passed before Nick broke the silence.

'Pearl?'

'What?' she snapped, suddenly returning to what he considered normal.

'Is that the nurse from the Pokémon Centre over there?'

He pointed and the two combatants turned around to see the woman running towards them from the direction of the centre.

'Miss Pearl, there you are!' she panted as she drew nearer to the group. 'I've… been looking… for you!'

'What's the problem?' asked Pearl.

The nurse bent down, hands on her knees, regaining her breath.

'It's… your egg! It's hatching!'

Nick and Jay gasped, while Pearl raised her head slightly.

'Well, let's go!'

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The nurse had led them through to a room behind the reception counter. It looked more like a medical practice than the waiting area and guest rooms they were used to. Filing cabinets and equipment lined the corners, with posters displaying the evolutionary lines of various Pokémon covered the walls. In the centre, the egg sat inside a warm incubator, shaking from side to side as several more cracks split into its surface. The three trainers and the nurse crowded around it.

'You should hold it as it hatches, Miss Pearl.' smiled the nurse. 'If it is to be your Pokémon, you should be the first person it sees. Lorenz's studies show that…'

'… A newly-hatched Pokémon will believe the first person it sees to be its trainer, I know.' said the girl, lifting up the egg and holding it in place on the table in front of her. The nurse fell silent, and they watched as the top of the egg began to crumble.

'It's happening…' noted Nick in awe.

The hole at its top grew wider and wider and the wriggling inside stopped as the creature finally found its exit route. The first thing to emerge was a green snout, followed by a rounded head lined with two wide eyes, yellow wing-like appendages folding over its neck like a collar. It sniffed the air before smiling widely, looking up at Pearl. Nick looked at the girl's face, a contortion of joy and confusion. It was him who spoke first.

'What is it?'

'I… have no idea…' muttered Pearl.

The nurse walked around the desk and looked down at the newborn, putting on some thin glasses to inspect it closer.

'I've never seen such a Pokémon either.' she said finally, after a few minutes.

'Nor have I…' added Jay, scratching his head. 'Try the Pokédex, Nick.'

Surprised that he didn't think to do this sooner, Nick took out the electronic assistant and opened it in the direction of the reptilian creature.

'Scanning…' it began.

Nick had never heard it say this before. They waited anxiously as it attempted to retrieve information.

'No data.' it announced.

'No data? It's not a Pokémon?' asked Nick, looking hopefully to the others in the room for an answer.

Pearl, for the first time since its birth, looked up from her new baby to him.

'Don't be ridiculous. Of course it's a Pokémon.'

The creature chirped happily, and began squirming to fully escape from the egg. Pearl placed her hands on its sides and lifted it out, holding it high to inspect its lower regions. Its thin body curved like a serpent, but small arms and legs distinguished it otherwise. A large, three-pronged leaf hung from its tail.

'It must be a grass-type Pokémon.' she nodded, holding it close to her. It smiled again and snuggled into her chest.

'You think? I think it could be a bug-type…' mused Jay, reaching out and stroking its scaly back. Without warning, the creature glared at him and extended a long vine from its back, whipping his hand viciously, before gripping his wrist and throwing him backwards. He bounced off of the wall and landed on the floor, dazed.

'Vine… Whip…' he groaned.

'Definitely a grass-type.' she sneered. 'I'll take it to Professor Rowan. I'm sure he'll know what it is.'

'You'll take it?' asked Nick. 'Can't you just show him it on a video call?'

Pearl looked up at the fluorescent lighting for a moment, and back to the grass creature.

'I'm sure he'd rather see it in person.' she affirmed. 'Besides, I was going to go back and see him before travelling north. I can ride Wailmer to Lake Verity from here, then Sandgem isn't far away.'

Nick looked at his Pokétch and pressed a button on it. It confirmed that his home was a short distance south of Canalave.

'Can I come with you?' he found himself asking, without fully considering the action.

'Huh?' she frowned, looking at him again. As stern as they were, Nick found himself admiring her eyes again.

'I'd like to visit my parents in Twinleaf Town, and the professor too of course.' he said, nervous for some reason.

'Well, okay.' she sighed, looking away again. 'I'll wait around if you want to challenge Donald, if I must. But I'm not staying here too long.'

He smiled and opened his mouth to say thanks, but she had busied herself in retrieving a spare Poké Ball from her bag in which to store the sleeping, unidentified Pokémon.

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Nick and Jay sat on a worn, wooden bench behind the Pokémon Centre, looking out to the sea that the sun had began to conceal itself behind. Its golden centre emanated orange rays that blended with the evening purples above them, where several flying-types were circling, preparing to retreat to their nests for the night. They sat in silence, both of them too entranced in the view, Nick's eyes fixed on the dark shape in the ocean that was Iron Island. Tomorrow, he would travel to it via boat; the nurse had explained that a local sailor had been taking visitors out to the island. He began thinking about the battle. Steel-types sounded like highly formidable opponents, but he knew that a fire-type – like Vulpix – had an advantage against them. Then Jay spoke.

'I'm heading back to Sandgem.'

Nick contemplated his words, before turning slowly and tilting his head.

'What?'

'I'm going to go home and train for a while.'

Nick continued to look at the other boy, who was still looking at the ocean.

'Err… why?'

'Because,' continued Jay, closing his eyes, 'If I couldn't beat that girl today, what chance do I have against the next gym leader? I need to learn more about my own steel-types before I can challenge his.'

'But you battled really well!' exclaimed Nick, his tone betraying the serenity. 'It was a close match too.'

'Thanks for the vote of confidence,' smiled his rival, shaking his head slightly, 'But I'd like to think I was mature enough to know when I need to improve.'

He lifted a Poké Ball from nowhere and Skarmory appeared from it, unusually quiet. Nick preferred it like this, when it was not emitting metallic, blood-curdling calls.

'How long are you going for…?' asked Nick, coming to terms with the fact his friend was leaving. He also felt a pang of worry that he would be left to travel with Pearl again.

'Until I feel ready.' replied Jay, steadying himself on Skarmory's back. 'I'll come visit you in Twinleaf.'

'Oh… okay.' stuttered Nick, forcing a smile. He had come to enjoy sharing his journey with Jay.

'Hey, don't cry.' laughed the boy, his trademark devillish grin creeping across his sunset-lit face. 'I don't like emotional goodbyes either, but you've got to be strong.'

He slapped Skarmory's side and the bird slowly began to ascend.

'Good luck in your gym battle!'

And, with that, he zoomed into the air, over the roof, and out of sight. Nick started to laugh as he turned back to look at the sea again. The air was warm and comfortable and he found himself slouching lower, mesmerised by the setting sun, the salty air filling his head…

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He woke up with a jolt and was immediately hit by an icy air. Darkness had crept over the city, and all was silent except for the waves breaking against the shore. He started to shiver, his thoughts turning to the warm bed and meal that waited for him inside the Pokémon Centre. Turning to reach for his bag, he fell back in fright at the sight of the man standing before him. The old man was hunched over, surveying the boy through unsettlingly bright, almost pupil-less eyes. Matted white hair cascaded from underneath a damp-looking hat, framing his crooked nose and uneven teeth, and a long ragged coat, torn and patched in several areas, largely covered the rest of his body. He spoke to Nick in wheezing hiss.

'You ought to think twice before takin' a nap here, sonny…'

'W-What? Why?' stuttered Nick, edging further away from the man's weather-beaten face.

'Because,' continued the strange man, pointing out to sea until his finger rested on the shadow of a distant island. Nick hadn't noticed it earlier. 'There's somethin' out there, somethin' evil, that comes alive at night.'

Nick squinted at the island. It was further out than Iron Island, just discernible in the gloom.

'What is it?' he replied, continuing to look to the sea to avoid the man's white eyes.

'A hideous creature. A creature that's the embodiment of darkness and filth.' coughed the man. He sounded very sick. 'I saw it once, and I've been tryin' to forget it since… so heed my words. Don't go to Newmoon Isle.'

Nick reluctantly look backed at the man, and nodded slowly. He would avoid the island at all costs if it meant he would turn out like this old-timer.

'Well, thanks… I better get going now, so…'

He gripped his bag, got to his feet, and walked away, quicker than usual. He cautiously looked back to see the man staring out to sea with eyes as foggy as the water's edge.


	22. Heavy Metal Pokémon Rock Iron Island!

**Happy new year! Sorry for the lack of updates, but I have been extremely busy. They should be more frequent for the next while. Have a great 2012!**

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Light and colour filled his eyes as a jolt of panic shot through him. Then he felt the wooden floor collide with his body. Squirming like a Magikarp on a fishing line, he sat up and clung onto the sheets that had followed him on his voyage to the ground.

'Veeee!'

His eyes focused onto the small serpent whose vines had just dragged him from bed, then to the grinning face of its adoptive mother who was standing in the doorway.

'I'm not hanging around all day while you sleep.' huffed Pearl. 'Get ready and go challenge Donald on Iron Island.'

'R-Right…' croaked Nick, whose voice was still asleep.

She walked away as he got to his feet. Squinting through the veil of morning light, he saw the island resting on the still, sparkling sea. He smiled, imagining the steel-type Pokémon he would encounter there, before a pang of hunger hit his stomach. With a yawn, he made his way to the bathroom.

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He found Pearl in the reception a short while later, looking out from the viewing porch they had met her on the previous day. The sun fell on her face as she turned to meet him, her light features framed by the dark hair.

'It's about time.'

'Uhh… Yeah.' he replied, finding he had been lost in thought.

'There's a ferry leaving for Iron Island in ten minutes.' she continued, stroking the head of the baby Pokémon nestled in her arms. 'Let's get a move on.'

He nodded, then looked to the newborn. Its wide eyes looked at him in innocent wonder as it sniffed the air with its green snout.

'Did you find out what it was yet?'

Pearl had already began to walk away and turned round with a grimace.

'No, obviously I haven't!' she snapped. 'But I've decided to name it Serp for the time being. Now would you hurry up?'

She marched out into the warm sea air. He noticed the nurse looking at him with a pitiful smile on her lips. The two visitors at the desk were giggling and whispering to each other. He returned the smile half-heartedly, before following his short-tempered friend from the door.

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The town was a lot busier than it had been yesterday. The pleasant weather had obviously drawn people from their homes. The cafés and shops were bustling with smiling customers, while tourists with their children and Pokémon took photographs on the pier. Nick looked at the happy faces of the families laughing and eating ice cream together. He suddenly yearned for home, and looked forward to seeing his parents again. But he knew it would be a flying visit. His Pokémon journey was far from over. Pearl, on the other hand, seemed unmoved by her surroundings.

'That's the ferry.' she said, pointing to a large boat in the distance.

'Then let's hurry!' laughed Nick, finding the energy to break into a run, inspired by the positive vibe of Canalave.

They dashed along the street, ducking and diving between the countless bodies, until they found themselves facing the ferry. It looked slightly grimy and rusty in places, but not entirely run-down.

_Well-used would be a fair term_, thought Nick.

It was then that he noticed the large crowd of people lining the wooden boardwalk in front of them, queuing to ride.

'Oh no!' moaned Nick. 'All of these people aren't going to challenge the leader, are they?'

'I wouldn't have thought so.' sniffed Pearl. 'Iron Island is a tourist attraction too.'

'A tourist attraction?'

Nick's shock was interrupted by piercing feedback from overhead speakers. Eventually a voice shadowed them.

_Would all passengers please now board the ship. Please keep all Pokémon inside Poké Balls while on the ship. The entry gates are now closed._

The voice was so fuzzy that Nick had barely heard it, but everyone seemed to have understood. They began to march in twos up the gangplank as a barrier lowered behind them to prevent anyone else coming on board.

'Put that… Pokémon in a ball please, Miss.' said a steward to Pearl. He looked perplexed at the creature, much like the trainers had been at the Pokémon Centre when it first hatched.

She reluctantly lifted a Poké Ball to her grass-type and, in a flash, it vanished inside. They stepped onto the ship and followed the crowd into the lounge area. A royal blue carpet spread out over the wide room like a woollen sea, with smooth wooden tables forming its islands. The two trainers sat down at one. Nick looked up at the chandelier above them, which began to sway slowly as the ferry pulled out of the port. He was sure that it was not as valuable as the staff undoubtedly hoped it would look, but it added a strange charm to the room. He looked back down to find every table now lined with eager tourists, and felt a slight contempt for them; surely his challenge was more important than a chance for them to gawp at Pokémon.

'Do you mind if we sit here?' asked a boy, pulling out the chair and taking a seat before they had even answered. His companion, a girl with dazzlingly white-blonde hair, did the same.

'Uh, sure, I guess.' muttered Nick, looking to Pearl. She hadn't even acknowledged the strangers.

'I'm Blake.' said the boy, pointing his thumb to his chest. A bush of black hair sprouted from his head, twisting in several directions, and his eyes stared at Nick with an unsettling inquisitiveness. 'This is my travelling partner Alana.'

The blonde girl looked quickly from Blake to the others as though surprised to hear her own name. She nodded and smiled at them both in turn, and opened her mouth as though about to speak, before slouching a little and remaining silent. Nick and Pearl stated their names, taken aback by the odd mannerisms of their new friends.

'Are you a Pokémon trainer, Nick?' asked the boy. He continued before Nick had even replied. 'Sure you are. I can tell you are. When you're as experienced as me, you can tell another trainer a mile off.'

Nick laughed nervously. Pearl rolled her eyes.

'So how many Pokémon you caught, Nick? Got any gym badges? I'm off to study some of the steel-types on Iron Island.'

Nick was unsure whether he should answer his questions or pursue a conversation about his research. He opted for the former.

'I have five Pokémon; Elekid, Nosepass, Shellder, Skorupi and uhh… Vulpix.'

'What? You a rookie trainer?' laughed Blake in an infuriating tone. 'None of 'em are even evolved!'

Nick shuffled in his seat uncomfortably.

'Maybe not, but I have four badges thanks to them.' he sniffed, getting defensive. 'And I'm on my way to challenge Donald for my fifth.'

'I already have six, including the Mine Badge from Donald.' revealed Blake with a condescending sigh. 'But I'll have no problem defeating three more leaders to get into the Pokémon League. My Pokémon are evolved, unlike your rookies, so…'

Nick could not contain his anger and stood up.

'Well let's have a battle, and I'll show you who the rookie is!'

Blake leapt to his feet too, pulling out a Poké Ball with a sneer, before piercing whistle interrupted the heated proceedings.

'No Pokémon are to be released onboard!' cried a security guard, marching towards them and waving a finger. 'Break it up, and put those Poké Balls away!'

The boys reluctantly withdrew them, and leered at each other briefly before turning away.

'I need some air.' announced Nick, leaving the table. This was also a great excuse to try to overcome his seasickness in private. He pushed open a door at the end of the row of windows and disappeared into the white spray of the deck.

'Please forgive Blake,' whispered Alana to Pearl, who masked her surprise at hearing the girl speak. 'He comes across as an arrogant hothead, but…'

'That's probably because he is.' snapped Pearl, looking from the quiet girl to the boisterous boy. He grimaced at her before getting to his feet.

'Come on Alana.'

He stormed off as the blonde girl timidly chased after him.

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The Canalave shoreline grew smaller and smaller. Nick leaned on the barrier, transfixed on the trail of choppy waves left by the ship. The sea salt stung at his nostrils to the point he was sure he could taste it, his palate a smorgasbord of cold air and savoury sickness. He coughed and gagged, trying to rid his mouth of the sensation with a hiss.

'Don't tell me ye don't relish the taste of the sea air!' came a hearty voice.

He turned round to see a man approaching him. He was large, but his body was composed mostly of muscle, not fat. Tattooed arms bulged out from a white shirt that was too tight for his frame, and a white cap sat on his round stubbly head.

'I'm a little bit queasy…' replied Nick, looking back out to sea.

'Ha! You just haven't got yer sea legs yet!' bellowed the man, slapping Nick on the back – something that didn't help his seasickness. 'When you've been sailin' these seas as long as I have, it becomes home.'

'You're a sailor?' asked Nick out of politeness. He would rather the man left him alone with his illness.

'I'm the captain of this fine vessel!' laughed the man, slamming his thick fist against the boy's back again. 'Name's Eldritch. I run the ferry services out of Canalave.'

'Nice to meet you…' sighed Nick. 'I'm Nick. I'm a trainer from Twinleaf Town.'

'On yer way to challenge old Donald, Nick?' smiled Eldritch, straightening his cap that had been blown askew by the wind.

'Yeah.' replied Nick, taking a sudden interest in the sailor and his talk of gym leaders. 'Do you know him?'

'Only too well, only too well.' wheezed the man, leaning on the railing of his fine vessel. 'A master of steel-types. A very powerful gym leader indeed.'

Nick's heart sank. His successes in the last few gyms had perhaps made him too confident, and to hear that this would be a true challenge was not entirely good news.

'One thing I will say,' continued Eldritch, 'Is that steel Pokémon have high defences. They're immune to many attacks, but weak to fire-, fighting- and ground-type moves.'

Nick stared blankly.

'Of course, Donald knows of this. It's not going to be enough to simply know his weaknesses. You'll need to find other ways around his solid defence.' nodded the sailor sagely. 'Steel Pokémon are bulky and heavy, and their attacks are mainly physical. Think about what that means in terms of their movement.'

With a nod, and one more pound on the back, the sailor returned to his duty, leaving the trainer once again looking into the froth and contemplating the advice.

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They filed out from the boat, along the gangplank and onto the island. A guide led them up a steep dirt path to the summit of the island. The way was lined with sharp silver-grey rocks that protruded from the yellowed grass, the stale dry colours of the surroundings enough to make one thirsty. Pearl released Serp from its Poké Ball and carried it in her arms. The young creature yawned and smiled, enjoying the open air that the ferry staff had denied it. Several people in the crowd turned to look at the Pokémon, and whispered to each other about it. Nick looked at their intrigued faces with a smile, until he locked eyes with Blake, and quickly looked away, slowing his pace.

'That guy is a jerk.' he muttered.

'Just forget about it.' sighed Pearl.

Nick took in the location some more. Why anyone would want to visit this bleak, barren island was beyond him. Unless it was for a gym battle, of course. He was growing impatient and anxious to find Donald, and began fiddling with his Pokétch out of frustration. The on-screen map of the island was larger than it looked in reality, with several floors also described. It appeared that there were caverns underneath where they stood.

The sight that greeted them at the summit of the hill was one that interested Nick. A wide plain spread out below and beyond where they stood, and on it roamed countless Pokémon: a herd of Lairon rested in the shadow of a rock, many of them nursing their young Aron; a Mawile chased after a floating Magnemite, biting at it in frustration; and, in the furthest away point, a group of Steelix tunnelled in and out of the ground, their diamond-like serpentine bodies gleaming in the sunlight. Nick looked on with a wide smile as his Pokédex detailed the creatures to him and, from the corner of his eyes, he saw several tourists shuffle closer to him to listen to the information. Just as the device detailed how Steelix can see in the dark while underground, a gruff voice boomed from nearby. The crowd turned to see a tall man standing on a rickety wooden platform, smiling down at the visitors. The light shone from behind him, casting his features in shadow, but Nick could discern a square jawline and a long, slightly crooked nose. Grizzled, matted hair cascaded from his head down to his waist, sticking to his long, black coat. Steel-capped platform boots supported the figure, a layer of dust and dirt encrusted on them.

'Welcome to Iron Island!' the man cheered, throwing his arms up as though offering the whole crowd a hug. 'My name is Donald; Canalave gym leader and conservation manager of this island.'

A few timid claps started a polite round of applause. Nick looked up at their host; he was an intimidating individual, regardless of how powerful his Pokémon may have been. He could not help but feel that he had seen him before.

'It's my job to make sure the island is taken care of, so that the wild creatures that live here can live freely and safely.' continued Donald. 'That's why I'll say, before the tour, please refrain from catching or battling any wild Pokémon you see.'

An enormous American man in sunglasses and a Hawaiian shirt, with a camera around his neck, sighed and placed a Poké Ball back into the pocket of his shorts. Nick smirked and looked back to Donald over the heads of the people in front of him.

'One hundred years ago, Iron Island was home to a mining community. The iron from here was used to construct many of the buildings across the Sinnoh region and beyond.

'Eventually, the ore reserves ran dry and the miners could not keep the business running. Luckily, they had been very prosperous over the years, and most of them were able to retire and move away.

'The workers owned many steel-types, who lived with them on the island and helped in their work. They began to breed until wild species began to roam on the island. When it closed, the owners and the mayor of Canalave City decided to leave the area to the Pokémon as a sign of respect for nature and as thanks for their hard work in helping the humans. And it exists like that until today.'

Gasps, smiles and approving chatter spread through the audience. Donald continued to beam down at them, glad they had enjoyed the history lesson. Two uniformed assistants stepped onto the podium and stood by his side.

'Our guides will now take you on a tour around the island. Thank you for coming, and I hope you enjoy your time here. Are there any questions?'

Before he could consider his actions, Nick found himself pushing through the crowd, emerging at the front with his outstretched hand aiming at Donald.

'Yes?' asked the man.

'Can I challenge you to a Pokémon battle?'

The crowd's chatter turned to laughter, which spread to the gym leader. Nick grinned nervously, slightly embarrassed by his rashness. Donald seemed to savour the moment, leaving a long pause between the question and answer.

'Yes,' he said finally, 'I accept your challenge, trainer. And your name is?'

'Oh… Nick.' laughed the trainer, his heart beating furiously.

'Well, Nick, follow me to the arena.'

The crowd began to disperse, following the guides towards the plain where the wild creatures roamed. Their departure uncovered Pearl, who was looking at the ground and shaking her head in response to Nick's actions. Donald held up a Poké Ball and a Steelix emerged from it. Leaping from the platform, he clung onto one of the steel snake's jagged appendages. Clambering onto its head, he let out a call, and it tore down the side of the cliff and out of sight, carrying its trainer with it. For a moment, Nick thought that they had fallen into the sea. His heart racing faster than ever, he ran to the edge, only to discover a terrifyingly steep, narrow path that led around the island. His innards shifted as he took in the sheer drop leading down to the waves that crashed against the grey cliffs. He was surprised the large Pokémon was able to traverse the delicate route, and at the speed with which it could do it. Pearl joined his side.

'Ready?' she asked, motioning to the path.

'As I'll ever be…' he laughed nervously.

Careful feet carried them down the edge in pursuit of the gym leader.

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Nick leapt from the narrow ledge and onto the wide area of ground that lined the island. He sprang into a jog, thankful to have more solid earth under his feet again. Pearl followed more cautiously, surveying the surroundings. The battlefield was similar to the road that had led them to the plateau, the calm waves stirring around the outer edge like a patient audience. A short distance away stood Donald, smiling at them from behind clumps of hair that the sea breeze blew across his face. The wind had begun to make its presence known, replacing the stale, dry air that had been bothering Nick. Now, however, the cooler air made him shiver in anticipation of battle.

_Battle. Oh…_

Focusing on the danger of the cliffs had pushed fighting tactics to the back of his mind. He hadn't fully considered Eldritch's advice.

We'll each use three Pokémon!' announced Donald, as though trying to interrupt his thoughts. 'The winner will be the last trainer who has an able Pokémon! The challenger will send out their Pokémon first!'

Nick still hadn't fully decided who to use, and was not keen to use Elekid or Vulpix after what the sailor had told him. He threw a ball into the battle and, in a flash and a whirlwind of bubbles, Shellder appeared, announcing its arrival with a squeak. Pearl perched herself on a flat rock at the edge of the field, her eyes fixed on the gym leader as Serp nuzzled into her hair.

'I choose Shieldon! Go!' boomed Donald, throwing a white ball forward at a speed that could have penetrated a sheet of metal.

'Sheeee!' cried the Pokemon that appeared. It resembled a dinosaur that Nick had seen in picture books as a child, only a lot smaller and less intimidating. It stood on all fours, with a steel plate covering its face and a short tail protruding from its rear. Pearl lifted her slightly, peering inquisitively at the creature, but remaining silent. Nick barely had time to consider the opponent before Donald commanded the first move.

'Shieldon, use Metal Sound!'

The dinosaur closed its eyes and bowed its solid head. A horrific sound suddenly filled the air, piercing Nick's ears and scraping at the inside of his head. Shellder seemed similarly unsettled, while the leader looked on with a grin, unaffected.

'Nick… do… something!' groaned Pearl from the side, Serp's high-pitched crying causing double the damage to her ears. This was the first time he had heard her call him by name; this attack was truly brutal if it could lower Pearl's social defences.

'Shellder… Withdraw!' he cried, through gritted teeth.

The bivalve snapped its shells together, but still quivered at the cacophonous attack.

'Now… Icicle Spear!'

Without opening its armour, Shellder formed an icy cone between its valves and thrust it forward. Donald and Shieldon watched as the spear spun flimsily through the air and smashed to pieces on the rocky ground, several yards away from its intended target.

'Whoever told you that battling when you can't see was a good idea?' guffawed the leader. Shieldon started to laugh too, breaking its concentration. The Metal Sound faded. A hot flush of embarrassment washed over Nick – he had wanted to stop the attack, but not by making the opponent laugh at his pathetic effort.

'Iron Head!' commanded Donald.

A white glow surrounded Shieldon, and it charged forward at a speed that betrayed its heavy frame.

'Stay withdrawn, Shellder!' called Nick, massaging his ears.

The leader's Pokémon crashed into his with a painful noise, and the water-type rolled along the ground, its shell chipped and grazed by the impact.

'Shellder!' he cried, running to it and stroking its gently. It opened and its long tongue rolled out, its eyes rolling.

'Your Shellder's defences aren't good enough to withstand a steel-type attack. It needs more training.' advised Donald. Nick looked at him with a frown, then back to his dazed ally.

_What can I do?_ he thought.

Then he remembered he had not used something that had helped him many times before.

_The Pokédex!_

The abrupt start to the match had knocked it from his mind. He flipped it open.

'Shieldon.' it began. 'This steel- and rock-type Pokémon became extinct over one hundred million years ago until it was recently cloned from DNA extracted from fossils.'

His eyes lit up in awe, and the surprise of how this creature came to be almost shadowed the useful information the device had just given him.

'A ground-type!'

'Ground-types are weak to water.' chirped the Pokédex, confirming his thoughts. It had obviously picked up Shellder in its radar.

'Shieldon!' burst Donald, as though picking up on the challenger's new strategy. 'Metal Sound!'

Nick reacted quickly.

'Shellder! Water Gun!'

The gushing river of water flew through the air, rippling wildly where it hit the invisible wave of noise, before crashing down on Shieldon. The ground-type fell flat under the weight, and struggled to get to its feet as the remaining drizzle rained down on it like darts.

'Finish it with an Aurora Beam!' cheered Nick.

Shellder's eyes fell into a frown as it shot the burning cold ray into the dinosaur, and it fell back down.

'Lucky shot,' growled Donald, recalling the Pokémon, 'Shieldon is resistant to ice-type attacks.'

Nick was too busy congratulating and petting Shellder to notice.

'Try this!' interrupted the leader, pulling his hair out of his sweaty face as he threw another Poké Ball forward. From it came a strange blue circular thing. It floated in mid-air, occasionally spinning its very thin frame as the spheres lining it gleamed. Two eyes as round as its body darted from left to right before focusing on Nick. This was one of the strangest, most intimidating creatures he had ever seen. He slowly lifted the Pokédex to it.

'Bronzor. This mysterious Pokémon is thought to have acted as a mirror in ancient times. It possesses both steel- and psychic-type powers.'

'Let's do it, Shellder! Use Aurora Beam!' called Nick, looking up from the screen.

'Confusion!' barked Donald.

As Shellder opened its mouth to release another beam, a blue glow surrounded it and its shell suddenly closed again. A bright flash leaked through the gap, accompanied by a loud bang, and the bivalve flew backwards. It landed at Nick's feet and the blue glow subsided. The shell opened slowly, revealing an unconscious Shellder, knocked out by its own attack.

'Let's see how you handle a steel-type that can attack from afar!' smirked the leader.

Nick returned Shellder to its Poké Ball.

_Vulpix is fast_, he thought. _Maybe it can avoid Bronzor's psychic attacks!_

He released the fox. It looked up at him and barked happily, before rubbing against his leg affectionately. Pearl's head fell into her hands.

'Err… it's nice to see you too, Vulpix,' laughed Nick, 'But it's time to battle!'

'Vul!'

It ran forward and stood with its legs spread out, ready for action.

'Bronzor, Confusion!'

The mirror-like monster rolled its eyes before focusing them on Vulpix.

'Vulpix! Run away before it can focus on you!' cried Nick, half-panicking.

The fox took off at speed, its one tail whipping wildly as it went. It ran in a zig-zag, denying Bronzor the chance to catch its eyes and use its telekinesis.

'Bronzor!' snarled Donald in frustration. Nick tried to hide a smile as he made his next move.

'Flame Burst!'

Coming to a halt, Vulpix quickly stood on its hind legs, reared its head back, and coughed a burning ball of fire. Bronzor was engulfed in the blaze, its frame glowing white hot.

'Gyro Ball!' howled the leader. 'Put out that fire and tackle it!'

Bronzor quickly began to rotate and, in a few seconds, was spinning with a fierce intensity. The flames were vanquished, and glowing blades of light formed around the blur that was the steel-type.

'Vulpix! Get ready to jump!'

No sooner had the words left his lips than Bronzor shot at the ground like a bullet. The fire-type leapt above it and, turning around mid-jump, released another blaze. It fell down on its opponent like a burning rain. It stopped spinning and lay still, burning in the fissure it had created with the impact of its attack.

'Return!' growled Donald. A red beam sucked the Pokemon back inside. Donald blew on the red-hot Poké Ball before putting it back in his pocket and withdrawing another.

'Not bad, Nick. Not bad at all.' he smiled.

Nick was now hugging Vulpix, but this time listened to the leader's words.

'Thanks!' he beamed.

'Vul!'

The leader lifted the Poké Ball up.

'But I hope you realised that I've been going easy on you.'

Nick shuffled uncomfortably, putting Vulpix to the ground. He looked to Pearl, who nodded solemnly. He took this as encouragement; perhaps she had liked his battling style so far. Turning back to Donald, he saw the leader throw the ball high into the air with a grin. A strong wind suddenly blew in from the sea, but what emerged was not moved at all by the breeze. The dark shape fell towards the ground and landed with a deafening thud, sinking an inch into the ground. It raised an ugly square head that stretched high above yellow eyes that peered from behind sharp horns and a row of prong-like teeth. The four legs it stood on were covered by a similar armour, and a studded ridge ran along its spine. It stomped at the ground as through ready to charge as Nick slowly opened the Pokédex once more.

'Bastiodon, the Shield Pokémon.' it said softly, as though acknowledging its power. 'This once-extinct Pokémon protected its young, Shieldon, with its shield-like face which acts as an impenetrable wall.'

_So it's Shieldon's evolved form…_ thought Nick. _What can I do? Shellder can't battle anymore…_

'Vulpix! Flame Burst again!'

The fox leapt into action again, a trail of flames blazing along the ground in front of it. They hit Bastiodon and burst into a roaring inferno that twisted high into the air.

_Surely that's done the trick!_ smiled Nick.

The sides of his lips fell as he watched the massive dinosaur come crashing through the wall of fire. Its movement was slow, but its massive, crashing stride was suitably frightening. Nick couldn't find the words to command Vulpix as he stepped back quickly from the oncoming enemy, and watched his fire-type be tackled with a force that knocked it high into the air. He called it back before it hit the ground.

'As you can see, Bastiodon won't go down as easy as Shieldon and Bronzor.' chuckled the leader with a competitive menace. 'What's your next move?'

Nick looked at his two remaining Poké Balls. Even if Skorupi would listen to him, its poison-type attacks would have no effect on the steel-type. He only had one option left; one last hope to attain the Mine Badge.

'Elekid! Go!'

Sparks filled the scene as Elekid made its appearance. It landed on the ground and began to stare down Bastidon, flexing muscles that shuddered with power. It turned its head to its trainer, awaiting a command.

'Try Thunderbolt!'

Nick was sure that, behind the loud crackling of Elekid's attack, he heard Donald let out a loud laugh. When the lightning subsided, Bastiodon stood calmly, unaffected.

'Huh?'

'Electric attacks aren't going to work!' cried Pearl, thrusting a hand at him. 'Try other types!'

Nick looked to Elekid, considering his next move as he studied it. The tattoo on its foot caught his eye and an idea came to him.

'Elekid, give it a Low Kick!'

The electric-type darted across the battlefield, dropped onto its back and slid into Bastiodon's wall-like front, a tensed foot crashing into its face. The steel-type rolled back a few inches and nursed a pain with a shake of its head.

'It's… working!' gasped Nick.

'Of course it is!' yelled Pearl with urgency. 'Steel Pokémon are weak to fighting-type attacks!'

'That may be,' interrupted Donald, taking over her sentence, 'But that's the last chance you'll get to do that! Bastiodon, Earthquake!'

The armoured beast lifted itself onto its hind legs before dropping itself into the ground with an almighty crash. Elekid began to teeter back and forth as the earth below it rumbled and shook. A series of cracks began to run from Bastiodon's claws like thick black nails. The battlefield began to spew rocks from below the surface. They shot at Elekid like hard jagged missiles, their aim precise as though having minds of their own. The Pokémon was slammed back and forth before falling flat on the shaking floor.

'Time to unleash your true power!' exclaimed Donald. 'The power of the ancients!'

Bastiodon roared and bowed its head to the ground, its eyes closed in deep concentration. Nick looked on in a bewildered horror as a transparent image of itself rose from its body, growing to a massive size. It looked like Bastiodon, but more sinister. Its eyes burned with a dangerous, inhumane rage, as though it considered Elekid to be a threat to its life and not a competitive opponent. It twisted and contorted above its real-life counterpart, dark and terrible. It opened its mouth into a silent roar, and several large stones materialised around it. They burned a glowing white, and fired towards Elekid like lightning bolts. The whole scene turned to a bright white that lingered for several moments, a void-like panorama, as though the world had been destroyed. It faded and, through aching eyes, Nick saw his Pokémon lying at his feet, burns and bruises covering its body. It was motionless, save for the infrequent twitch.

'Elekid…' he gasped. 'Elekid!'

He dropped to his knees and picked up his fallen comrade, cradling it in his arms.

'Are you okay?'

'Elek… Ele-kid…'

'It'll be fine.'

Nick looked up and saw Donald stroking Bastiodon's solid back. It was on its last legs; it had obviously suffered from its own attack. He recalled it to its Poké Ball and made his way over the rough terrain to where Nick stood.

'Ancient Power looks devastating, but the damage won't be severe. I usually only use it against the strongest opponents.'

Two punches of disappointment hit Nick. Donald obviously did not see him as a worthy adversary, just a starry-eyed waste-of-time trainer. But, more importantly, he had failed to win a badge.

'You put up a good fight, Nick.' said Donald softly, offering a large sweaty hand. The boy took it with sadness. 'You did really well to defeat two steel-types in a row.'

_If I could only have defeated three…_

The sombre silence was broken by a faraway voice. They looked to where it was coming from and saw a shape descending from the sky. As it got closer, Nick recognised the gleams of light on silver wings – it was a Skarmory. On its back was one of the guides who had led the tourists around the island.

'Donald! Donald!'

'What is it, Marty?'

The boy leapt from the steel bird as it approached the ground and landed in front of the leader. He sleeked his ruffled brown hair back into place, revealing a face surely younger than his years. His eyes were perpetually tensing, as though fighting back tears.

'There's some kind of vessel off the coast of Newmoon Island!'

Donald jolted forwards, his fists clenched.

'What?' he exclaimed rhetorically. 'People have trespassed?'

'It looks that way!' replied Marty, louder than was necessary. 'Dark clouds are forming in the sky above the island!'

The leader turned to look at the sea, his head hanging slightly lower.

'This is bad…'

Nick remembered the words of the strange old man he had met the night before.

_There's somethin' out there, somethin' evil… the embodiment of darkness and filth…_

'What's the problem?' asked Pearl, joining the group.

'Newmoon Island is a dangerous place, and it's off-limits to the public.' replied Donald, turning to them. A look of determined anger had replaced his worry. 'If the island is threatened, the whole of Canalave and Sinnoh could be in trouble. Let's get to the boat. We need to fix this.'

He started to walk away in great steps, his jacket and hair blowing behind him in the growing wind.

'Nick… can I ask for your assistance?' he asked over his shoulder. 'It would be useful to have a strong trainer like yourself if… if what I _hope_ hasn't happened _has_ happened.'

All it took was for Donald to recognise him as a good trainer, and for the leader to disregard Pearl as one.

'Sure, I'll help.' he replied, his voice more confident than his mind.

The leader's walk turned into a run, and they followed him – with a little difficulty; his speed betrayed his mass – as the distant blue sky slowly turned grey.


	23. Dark Days On Newmoon Island

'Nick!'

The call of his name snapped him back to reality with a jump. He had found himself lost in the panorama of the blackening sky, the vortex of dark clouds continuing to spread and expand.

'Here, take this.' continued Donald, handing the trainer a small green spray bottle. 'It's a potion. It will heal your Pokémon from our battle.'

Nick took the bottle silently, looking to the tall trees of Newmoon Isle as they approached the shoreline, wondering what lay beyond them.

_If Donald is giving me a potion_, he thought, _then we must have to battle someone… or something_.

One by one, they stepped off of the boat and trekked up the rocky slope to the island. The air was laced with a deathly, unearthly cold, and a feeling of despair swept over Nick. Looking at the faces of his companions, he could tell they felt the same. He released his Pokémon from the Poké Balls and applied the potion.

'This isn't good…' muttered Donald to Marty. 'Someone must have disturbed it.' '_It_?' asked Pearl, having overheard. Donald looked at her and, for a moment, seemed lost for words.

'The Pokémon that lives on this island.' he said eventually. 'It's a very strange, powerful Pokémon. Newmoon Island is forbidden to everyone except the Canalave Gym members as it has to be left in peace and isolation.' Nick remembered the old man's words with a shudder.

_A hideous creature… the embodiment of darkness and filth. I saw it once and I've been tryin' to forget it since…_

'Come on!' bellowed Donald, and began running through the trees in great, powerful strides, his iron boots pounding several inches into the ground with every step. With a slight reluctance in the pit of their stomachs, the other three began to follow him into the unknown.

* * *

The black branches of the trees continually hit them as they ran after Donald, like wicked arms reaching out to drag them into the darkness. Scratches and dirt covered their arms and faces as they stumbled out into a clearing. In the epicentre of the blanket of clouds above sat a full moon, an ethereal light flooding through the gloom and illuminating the sight that lay before them. Nick stepped out from behind Donald's massive frame to see four Team Obsidia members standing in the four corners of the open space. His eyes travelled to the same thing they were staring at. Floating above a glassy pond, bathing in the moonlight, was a dark, spectral figure. It turned its head slightly to look at the new arrivals, then spun round to face them fully. A wisp of white hair protruded from a black face, two menacing blue eyes staring out from beneath it. From its ragged body came two long arms ending in clawed hands, pointed fingers clenching and opening in a sinister movement/fashion.

'It's… here…' breathed Donald heavily.

Fighting through the overwhelming fear that hung over the scene, Nick slowly withdrew his Pokédex and warily held it to the creature.

'Darkrai.' it began. Even the electronic voice seemed to talk in more reserved, fearful tones. 'The Pitch-Black Pokémon. A dark-type, data on this rare Pokémon is extremely limited, although it is believed to induce nightmares in those who approach it.'

'Darkrai…' he gasped.

'What are you doing here?' snarled Donald at the Obsidians. The four villains laughed.

'For a gym leader, you're not so smart are you?' replied the furthest away one. It was Golding, who had tried to trap Nick and Pearl in the collapsed cave during their last encounter. 'We're here to take the legendary nightmare Pokémon, the most powerful in the Sinnoh Region!'

'You fools!' cried Donald. 'Darkrai is extremely dangerous to anyone who approaches it, never mind trying to catch it! You've put everyone in Canalave City – everyone in Sinnoh – at risk!'

The smile did not leave Golding's lips. 'All except us.' he smirked, nodding downwards. At his feet, and those of the others, stood small, yellow elephant-like Pokémon. They stood on two legs, waving their arms hypnotically.

'What are those?' asked Nick, finding his voice again.

'Those are Drowzee!' replied Marty, as though having just figured it out. 'They are immune to sleep-inducing attacks. Those crooks must be using them to repel Darkrai's hypnosis and nightmares!'

No sooner had he explained it than Darkrai formed a black mist between its hands. It hurled it towards Team Obsidia, only for it to be evaporated by a flash from the Drowzee's hands.

'Stop this! Stop this now and get out of here!' roared Donald.

Looking at Golding, Nick felt rage rising in him. With a trembling hand – either due to fear or anger – he took out a Poké Ball.

'We're going to have to fight them off!'

Suddenly, Darkrai turned quickly to face them again. At the sight of the Poké Ball in his outstretched arm, it formed another plume of mist and shot it directly at Nick. He froze as he watched it come closer and closer, time having seemed to slow down. Not a moment before it enveloped him, Donald stomped in front of the young trainer, holding his arm up in defence. The attack washed over him and he fell to his knees, trembling. It took Nick a moment to react.

'Donald!' he exclaimed, bending to the leader's side and holding onto his huge arm. Unable to hold him up, he watched as Donald fell to the floor, his eyes closed tightly as though suffering horrific pain.

'Watch out!'

Upon hearing Pearl's cry, he looked up, only to find another swathe of black mist descending over him. His peripheral vision went dark, and the scene around him shrunk, as though he was falling away from it, into the depths of the dark.

* * *

_Where… am I_? _What… is… this_?

'Nick… Nick…'

_Darkrai_… _Where_… _Darkrai_…

'Nick!'

He opened his eyes, but could not tell if they were open. The scene was pitch-black in all directions, as though he were lost in a void. He looked around, unsure if he was seeing something or if he had been afflicted with blindness. The call of his name made him turn and something came into his sight. Donald stood before him, a strange, dreamy glow radiating from him. Nick looked at his own hands to find they were similarly blurred and hazy, as though he were but a shadow of himself – as though he were a figment of his own imagination and not in his own body. Donald pulled him to his feet.

'Where are we?' asked the trainer.

'We're in a nightmare.' replied Donald, his voice followed by a pulsating echo. 'It's the work of Darkrai. We need to find a way out, or we'll be trapped forever.'

His last words sent a chill down Nick's spine. He blinked hard, having felt something forming in his eyes. He turned away to hide his grief, only to see someone else approach. He rubbed his eyes and focused through the darkness, only to fall backwards in fright at what he saw. From the shadows came himself. The same mess of brown hair, the same clothes and the same face, only terrible. The irises were filled black, the skin grey, a smile contorted across his blue lips.

'What… What is this?' he cried. There was no answer from Donald. Looking around, he found that the leader was face to face with a copy of himself too.

'Nick, stay strong… These are just Darkrai's tricks. It isn't real.'

They stood firm as the copies walked closer and closer. Nick closed his eyes, dreading what would happen next but, after a few moments, found that nothing had. Opening his eyes, he saw the other versions holding Poké Balls. They did not speak, but their eyes beckoned them to follow.

'We're… going to have to fight ourselves.' said Donald quietly.

Nick had been thinking this too. Slowly, the two of them took out Poké Balls and threw them forward. In a burst of white light, Vulpix and Steelix appeared, both surrounded by the same strange haze. The copies threw Poké Balls into the battlefield too. Instead of the white flash, they spewed thick black smoke. When it cleared, illusions of their Pokémon appeared. Vulpix's fur was a dark purple, its eyes burning white. The tail remained singular, but black spikes – like those of Darkrai's cloak – standing out of it from base to tip. Steelix's protrusions were similarly modified, its silver hide without its gleam and its eyes burning in the same way.

'Steelix, use Flash Cannon!' ordered Donald.

The real Steelix glowed brightly, reared its great head back, and threw forward a pulsating ball of sparks. It collided with the nightmare creature but had little effect. Without words, the other Donald pointed forward and the dark Steelix flicked its head in a similar way, shadows racing past its face. The Flash Cannon was returned with frightening force, crashing into Steelix with a burst of sparks and causing the great serpent to fall forward.

'They're powerful…' grunted Donald. 'There is no limit on what these Pokémon can do. They're a part of Darkrai's illusion, it controls their abilities.'

'Let me give it a try.' replied Nick, finding a rush of courage. 'Vulpix, Flame Burst!'

The fox raised its tail high, its body shaking for a moment, before spitting out a ball of fire. It engulfed the purple Vulpix.

'It's working!' cheered Nick.

'Vul! Vul!' barked his Pokémon happily.

They watched the blaze and found their relief turn to despair as the flames began to turn a ghostly blue. The inferno split into small wisps of flame that began to flicker and dance around the shadow Vulpix. With a piercing howl, it sent them shooting towards the others. Vulpix was set aflame as Nick raised his hands over his head and felt them sear at his hands. This was the most dangerous foe he had faced; Darkrai was out to fight both Pokémon and trainer. He braved the heat to save his partner.

'Vulpix!' he cried, pulling the fox from the fire with blistered hands. 'Are you okay?'

'Vul…' it whined, azure embers still lit on its delicate fur. Nick brushed them away.

'We have to be ruthless! This isn't a normal battle!' called Donald through the pain, swatting his arms at the array of flames.

Nick surveyed the scene through the subsiding Will-O-Wisp. Vulpix shuddered in his arms and Steelix moaned at Donald's feet from the attack. Across the battlefield, the illusions contorted menacingly, their twisted faces illuminated by the eerie embers.

'But… how can we fight ourselves?' asked Nick, half to himself, half to Donald.

He felt the leader's eyes rest on him, then turned to see him look towards the copies.

'Maybe we're not supposed to fight ourselves.' he replied solemnly. 'Perhaps we need to fight each other.'

Nick continued to look at the side of Donald's face, hoping for elaboration, but then realised the strategy. They could each defeat the copy of the other's Pokémon with a super-effective attack; Vulpix using a fire attack on Steelix, and Steelix using a ground-type attack on Vulpix. Without words between them, they ordered their next moves.

'Flame Burst!'

'Earthquake!'

The battlefield became very heated and animated. Vulpix spewed another ball of flame, and its copy lowered its head and tensed defensively, no doubt ready to manipulate the attack again. With a twist of its own head, however, Nick's Vulpix directed the flame at Steelix. It soared into the side of the snake's huge face, splitting into several fires that entwined with the steel-type's long body until it was a towering inferno. By its side, the purple Vulpix leapt from side to side dodging the jagged black rocks that erupted from the earth, Donald's Steelix having crashed to the ground and causing a rupture. Spike after spike exploded from underneath its feet but the fox's agility outshone the serpent's attack.

'Give it all you got, Steelix!' roared Donald.

The Pokémon roared, reared its head, and brought it crashing down, slamming the ground with such force that the two trainers were knocked from their feet. From the darkness below them burst a giant black blade, catching the dark-type with its point and throwing it high into the air. With a piercing howl, it evaporated into a mist that slowly fell over the scene.

'It's gone!' gasped Nick.

They turned their attention to the dark Steelix. They could still hear its roars from within the blaze but, as the flames began to subside, they found that it had been completely burned away.

'We did it!' barked Donald, clenching his fist in victory.

Before Nick could fully worry that they were about to send out more Pokémon, the two illusions began to fade from sight. Black smog poured from their wide-open mouths and amalgamated above the scene. It whirled and contorted until it took the form of Darkrai. It leered down at them, its single eye glowing an electric blue.

'You can play mind games with us, Darkrai, but you underestimate the power of a trainer-and-Pokémon team!' laughed Donald, putting his hands on his hips.

In a silent rage, it began to spin, forming a pulsating ball of energy between its arms. The attack crackled and sparked as Darkrai raised it above its head.

'That's Shadow Ball!' cried Donald. 'Watch out!'

The burning black sphere came hurtling towards Nick at a speed that made him throw his hands over his head rather than attack.

'Vul! Vul-pix!'

The cry made him look from behind his fingers. Vulpix was breathing out a ray of fire that illuminated even the darkness of the area. It met the Shadow Ball and stalled it on its way to the ground.

'That's it, Vulpix!' cheered the trainer. 'Push it back!'

Darkrai, who seemed to be remotely controlling the trajectory of its attack with its hands, began to shudder, barely able to hold its own against Vulpix's new-found power. The little fox's fur was dampened with sweat, its fur standing on end and its one tail erect and glowing.

'You can do it! I believe in you!'

At these words, Vulpix's flame intensified and its body burned a brilliant orange. Slowly, the Shadow Ball began to move back towards its creator. With a final howl, the fire consumed the dark energy and the full blast of both attacks collided with Darkrai. A static noise perforated the surroundings and light began to pour through, the blackness quickly turning to a blinding white.

* * *

The whiteness subsided and they found themselves back on Newmoon Island. Donald's huge hand thumped onto Nick's shoulder and the boy looked up at his tired face.

'You alright?'

'Fine…' breathed Nick.

He looked forward. Vulpix was beaming back at him. Its body had lost its flare, but two tails now stood proudly on its rear.

'Vulpix! Your tail… your tails!'

'It looks like your Vulpix learned Flamethrower back there.' mused Donald.

Another static shriek interrupted praise of the fire-type. Looking up, they saw that Darkrai had returned to the scene, and Team Obsidia – who Nick had almost forgotten about – were gazing upon it with a wicked hunger in their eyes.

'I thought Darkrai had saved us a job in finishing you off.' smirked Golding. 'But we'll gladly do that, then take this thing for the good of Team Obsidia!'

Nick was barely paying attention to the villain. His eyes were locked with that of the dark-type. It was glaring down at them, as though ready to launch another attack. With a rush of bravery – or maybe it was desperation – he stepped forward.

'Please, Darkrai! We're not the enemy here!'

'Nick, what are you…?' gasped Pearl. He did not let her interrupt.

'Team Obsidia are the ones who disrupted your home! We're here to help you!' he continued, throwing his open arms upwards. 'We're trainers! We help Pokémon, and they help us. Let us help you protect your island!'

'Enough!' barked Golding, apparently frustrated at the lack of attention he was receiving. 'Drowzee, Hypnosis! Let's take it!'

'Drow…zee…' hummed the elephant creature. It waved its hands rhythmically, and spirals of light slowly made their way towards Darkrai. It had still been looking at Nick, but its single eye moved to the side, aware of the attack from behind.

'Darkrai! Please, listen to me! Let's fight Team Obsidia together!'

The rays came closer.

'Now!'

Before Nick had even finished shouting, Darkrai pulled away from the hypnosis and fragmented the attack with a wave of its hand. The Drowzee looked as confused as their masters as Darkrai, its black cloak gleaming oddly in the moonlight, began to form a Shadow Ball.

'What is this?' cried one of the grunts.

Nick looked to Donald, both of them smiling. Pearl and Marty stood behind them, looking confused.

'Vulpix! Help Darkrai with Flamethrower!'

Vulpix opened its mouth and a blast of fire wrapped itself around the dark-type's attack. The ball grew bigger, pulsating and crackling.

'You too, Steelix! Gyro Ball!'

The steel snake, emerging from the shadows, began to spin segments of its body rapidly. Searing, white-hot light flashes began to form, twisting off of it and combining with the Shadow Ball. With another loud crack, Darkrai threw the ball to the ground. The resulting explosion shook the earth, the water in the pond spraying everywhere like a shattered mirror and shadows spewing over the scene. Nick grabbed Vulpix as he fell to the ground, and crawled backwards to the others. When it settled, the Drowzee and several Obsidians lay unconscious. Only Golding remained on his feet, though he was staggering, covered head to doe in dust and earth.

'Retreat… come on…'

He recalled the Drowzee while the grunts who were still awake grabbed the others and pulled them backwards into the trees.

'Quick, follow them!' cried Donald.

Getting to their feet and recalling their Pokémon, they gave chase into the darkness of the woods. Running as fast as he could, Nick wondered where the villains had gone, as there was no sign of them. Eventually, however, cold sea air hit their face as they came to the other edge of the island. Nick had to stop himself from running over the side of the cliff, and once again fell backwards at the sight of Team Obsidia's helicopter rising from below. Golding stood in the doorway looking down menacingly at the group.

'Once again you have ruined our plans, but our time will come!' he snarled. 'All of Sinnoh is about to know the name Team Obsidia, and you who crossed us will be the first to pay!'

The helicopter's speed increased as they soared into the night sky.

* * *

Darkrai was still there when they returned to the centre of the island, although it was now hovering a few feet from the ground with a more relaxed demeanour. They stopped as they saw it, unsure if it should be approached or not. Donald was the first one to make a move.

'Darkrai,' he announced, stepping forward, 'My name is Donald. I'm the one who makes sure people don't set foot on your island.'

The dark-type lowered down until it was eye level with the leader.

'I'm sorry that Team Obsidia were able to get here. From now on I will make sure that Newmoon Island is better protected.'

It bowed its head slowly. Nick noticed that the air was no longer cold, and the sense of danger was no longer being exuded from the Pokémon.

'We will leave now, Darkrai.'

With one last look at them, the creature faded from sight as the dark clouds above subsided, leaving the area bathed in the light of the moon.

* * *

Nick and Pearl stood at the back of the boat in a pleasant silence, looking at the serene island as it once again became a misty rock on the horizon. He noticed that the moment was free of the usual tension and inevitable hostility that usually cast a shadow over their meetings.

'You battled well.' she said quietly, the dark blue surroundings and her black hair framing her tired, pale face. Nick looked at the stars reflected in her eyes, but she did not look back.

'Thanks.' he replied sheepishly, looking down to the water. As he did, she turned to look at him, the flicker of a smile on her lips.

'I know Team Obsidia will be back.' she said softly. 'All we can do is try our best to stop their plans, especially after what they did to Elekid and Wailmer.'

Nick felt a jolt in his stomach at the thought of what Golding had said. Team Obsidia appeared to be gaining power, and he had established himself as something of an enemy to them.

'At least one good thing has come from all this.' she finished.

He looked up and his stomach jolted again as their eyes met, the soft wind blowing her delicate hair across her cheeks. Without thinking, he slowly and cautiously moved towards her.

'Yeah?'

'I recorded information about Darkrai on my Pokédex.' she stated firmly, looking back to the ocean as Nick slid on the damp floor and landed with a _thud_. 'Professor Rowan will be pleased.'


	24. Caw-ll off the Search!

Canalave was colder the next day, as though remnants of the dark events of the previous night were still blowing in on the sea breeze. They had woken up late, exhausted from their visit to the surrounding islands, and sat on the dock in the afternoon chill. Pearl was stoney-faced as usual, but Nick's smile could have lit up the darkest of caves as he stared at the glistening object in his hand. A pattern of three silver pickaxes on a gold backdrop comprised the prize, bestowed upon him by Donald for his assistance in the battle with Darkrai. The Mine Badge was his. He stroked Elekid's head with his other hand and felt it tremble from the electric vibrations. Pearl surveyed her Pokédex and map.

'Where do we go next?' he asked.

'We?' she shot back quickly, before turning away again, seemingly embarrassed by her attitude. 'Well, I'm going back to Sandgem like I said, if you want to come. If we surf around the woods south of here, we'll be there in a day or so.'

Nick followed her pointing hand to look at the trees that lined the skyline beyond the docks. They looked just like the ones that surrounded his childhood hiding place, Lake Verity, and he felt a sudden sense of home.

'Yeah, let's go back. I'll stop off at Twinleaf on the way.'

He jumped to his feet and offered a hand to Pearl to help her up. She ignored it and stood up unaided. Just as she took out Wailmer's Poké Ball, a familiar voice came from behind them.

'So, you got the Mine Badge?'

They turned to see Blake from the ferry. From beyond his forest of hair stepped Alana, stumbling awkwardly as she followed. Pearl sighed.

'Yeah, I did!' barked Nick in defence. 'We helped Donald to save the rare Pokémon, Darkrai, and he gave me it!'

'You mean you didn't even win a battle against him?' laughed the boy, his leather-clad shoulders bopping up and down as he did. 'That's no way to earn a gym badge.'

Nick was disappointed that Blake had not reacted to the news about encountering Darkrai.

'Gym leaders can give badges to any trainers that they deem worthy.' snapped Pearl. 'Battles are just the most conventional way to determine it, but what Nick did was more than deserving of one.'

Nick smiled and looked to her, but she was glaring at the other boy.

'Yeah, yeah, whatever.' he snickered. 'How about you battle _me_ to see if you deserve the badge?'

'But Blake…' whimpered Alana. 'The Pokémon are tired, and…'

'Hush!' he growled, and she fell silent. 'The Pokémon are fine. Tired or not, they'll still be more powerful than Nick's un-evolved rookies.'

'But…' she continued, barely audible. Her voice was drowned out by Nick's acceptance of the challenge.

'Let's go, one-on-one!'

'I could defeat you both with one Pokémon, if you want to get involved.' replied Blake, grinning at Pearl.

'No.' was the answer.

Blake folded his arms, chuckling again.

'Well, I guess you must be too much of a rookie too. Oh well.'

Pearl, while usually possessing a perpetually cool head, appeared to snap.

'We'll shut you up!' she hissed. 'Let's go, Nick!'

Nick, hoping Pearl hadn't been convinced by the suggestion she was a lesser trainer than him, threw a Poké Ball into the air. Pearl did the same, and Vulpix and Wailmer appeared.

'Go, Gliscor!'

From Blake's Poké Ball flew a purple bat-like creature, scorpion-like claws and a tail sticking out menacingly. It spiralled into the air before descending in front of its opponents with a hiss.

'Gliscor…' muttered Nick, opening the Pokédex.

'…The Fang Scorp Pokémon.' it explained. 'This ground- and flying- type Pokémon hangs from branches by its tail and silently swoops at prey with expert flight abilities.'

'Two… against one?' mumbled Alana with sad eyes.

'Alright, here we go!' announced Blake. 'Gliscor, use Quick Attack!'

The bat shot into the air in the blink of an eye and, with a loop, dropped towards its foes.

'Wailmer, Water Gun!'

'Whaaaae!'

Water gushed from the whale's huge mouth and into the air. Gliscor effortlessly circled the fountain on its flight path.

'Now use X-Scissor!' commanded Blake.

Crossing its arms and bracing its claws, Gliscor shot to the bottom of the water and into Wailmer. The water-type ceased its attack as the claws dug into its thick skin. Moments later, however, the resilient whale bounced its attacker away with a _pop_. It soared back up high.

'Gah…' moaned Blake. 'Use Night Slash on Vulpix!'

Gliscor's claws glowed a haunting purple, and it tore downwards towards the fox, arms outstretched.

'Flame Burst!' called Nick.

Vulpix's ball of fire shot upwards. Once again, Gliscor's agile flying carried it past the attack.

'Ha! Easy!' laughed its trainer.

'That's what you think…' smirked Nick.

The fireball then split into several embers that rained down on the scene. Gliscor could no longer evade attacks with ease, slowing down to navigate the maze of fire.

'Ready… aim…' began Pearl.

'Gliscor!' cried Blake. Alana's eyes were glistening.

'Fire!'

Another Water Gun shot through the flames and hit its target dead-on. Gliscor, weak to water, fell from the sky, embers burning it on the way. It crashed into the ground, defeated.

'No… no…' moaned Alana as Blake recalled the Pokémon.

'Good work, Vulpix!' cheered Nick. 'You too, Wailmer, Pearl!'

She nodded back, patting her partner on the head.

'Okay, you asked for it!' snarled Blake. 'Go, Purugly!'

The Pokémon emerged from the ball with a flash, making a loud stomp as it landed on the ground. The steel-grey cat was bulky, with a stern face and crooked whiskers. With a whipping noise and an aggressive hiss, it wrapped its tails around its body, inflating its already large frame.

'Purugly, the Tiger Cat Pokémon.' revealed the Pokédex. 'This brutish Pokémon intimidates opponents by making itself appear larger. It is known to steal the nests of other Pokémon, and attacks using its sharp claws.'

'Doesn't sound very pleasant…' mused Nick.

'Whatever!' interrupted Pearl. 'Wailmer, use Mist!'

Clouds of dry ice began to billow from Wailmer's blowhole at a fast rate until a veil covered the battlefield.

'Purugly, quick! Use Slash!'

With a meow, the tiger cat dashed through the haze and leapt in the air, claws extracted. Emerging from the gloom, however, it found itself off-target, crashing into the ground between its two opponents.

'Purugly…' sobbed Alana.

'Ugh!' panicked Blake, his eyes flickering. 'Fury Swipes!'

It raised its razor-like claw.

'Vulpix, Confuse Ray!'

The fox's eyes glowed and the claw did not come down. Purugly froze in position for a moment, before falling onto its side. In an effort to get to its feet, it stumbled and fell again, its tails whipping violently.

'Nyaaaaa!' it shrieked.

'Wailmer, Water Pulse!'

Wailmer opened its mouth and, inside, a ball of water began to form. With a loud splash and a glow, it fired the attack at Purugly, sending it rolling backwards into the middle of the battlefield. The mist faded.

'Stop it! Stop, stop!'

The three combatants turned to Alana as she shrieked, tears rolling down her face.

'Don't hurt the Pokémon anymore!'

'Alana, we…' began Blake.

'No! It's not fair! It's not fair!'

She turned and ran down the street, teardrops splashing and leaving a trail behind her.

'Wait!'

Blake ran for a few steps, his arm outstretched, before he stopped and stared. A sad confusion had replaced his usual thuggish disposition. He turned back to his opponents.

'What did you do?' he cried.

'We… went too far.' said Pearl, solemnly.

Nick felt a jolt of guilt shoot through him. Had Blake just been talking tough? Had he ever stood a chance using one Pokémon against two?

'She said… the Pokémon… they were already tired…' he thought aloud.

'Well, come on! Forget the battle, we have to get her back!' urged Blake.

The three recalled their partners.

'I don't know why she's like this!' sighed the boy as he began to run. Nick looked to Pearl and, for once, she returned the gesture before her ice-blue eyes fell to the ground. They took off after Blake.

* * *

Alana's tear-stained path led them into the Canalave Woods. Nick was surprised at how quickly the shore and the city streets disappeared behind the more natural landscape, although the smell of salt still lingered in the strangely balmy air. The trees stood closely together as though huddling to share secrets beneath a canopy of green leaves and flecks of sunlight. The occasional rustle in the distance and strange echoes indicated presences nearby.

'Alana!' called Blake, his voice stretching into the greenery. 'Alana! Where are you?'

He turned to the other two trainers.

'Don't just stand there!'

Nick shuffled before shouting out to the girl, feeling a little awkward. Pearl remained quiet. They stood in the silence for a few moments, listening to the echoes of their voices, but there was no response. A flutter of wings broke the still.

'Kraw!'

Looking up, they saw a Murkrow sitting on a high branch, its black feathers an unsettling contrast to the greenery. Its demeanour reminded Nick of the one he had seen in Jubilife City.

'Kraw-aw-aw!' it continued, seemingly taunting them.

'Beat it!' snapped Blake, and with an aggressive wave of his hand, the bird flew off.

'Come on.' instructed Pearl, pointing out a trail in the overgrown grass. 'She must be further in the forest.'

Blake and Pearl began to walk ahead through some thick bushes. Nick surveyed his surroundings before following. After a few steps, however, he felt a rumble from the ground.

'H-H-Hey, guys?' he began. 'D-D-Do you f-f-feel that?'

'No.' replied Pearl. 'What are you talking about?'

Before he had time to reply, he was thrown into the air as something emerged from underneath him with great force. He landed in a heap at their feet and stared back at what had erupted from the earth. A green shelled creature stood on four legs, plants sprouting from its back. It growled ferociously at them.

'It's a Grotle!' exclaimed Blake.

Nick fumbled for his Pokédex, but Pearl grabbed his arm.

'I don't think there's time for that…'

Looking up again, he saw that the Grotle was pounding at the ground with a front leg.

'It's about to…'

With a roar, the grass-type began to run at them with heavy stomping, leaves spewing from its bushy back.

'…Charge!' the three of them cried.

They turned and dashed as Grotle followed. It barged through trees, knocking the smaller ones to the ground in its pursuit. The trainers ducked and dived, with Blake the furthest ahead. Fortunately, their pursuer was slower, and Nick, with a glance backwards, was glad to see it had fallen behind. As he turned back, he felt Pearl's hand grab his wrist again, and he was hoisted upwards onto a branch. Silently, they watched Grotle approach below, looking around for those who woke it up. With bated breath, they watched it give up and grumpily stomp back to its resting place. Eventually, Blake, who was sitting on the branch of a different tree, spoke.

'Good going. Try not to stand on any other vicious Pokémon, and let's find Alana!'

Just as they went to drop from their hiding place, Murkrow descended again, this time perching on Blake's head.

'Kraw! Mur-kraw!'

He swatted at it.

'Not you again! Get out of here, you filthy featherball!'

With a peck to his nose, the crow flew away once more.

'Grrr! I'll capture you, Murkrow!' he snarled after it.

Climbing back down to earth, they continued deeper into the woods. From a dark tree hollow high above, several pairs of red eyes peered into the daylight and down at the trainers.

* * *

The daylight seemed to be fading at an unusually quick rate, a slight blue aura now filtering in from above. Blake's voice was becoming hoarse from shouting for his missing friend.

'Alana! If you're here, come out!'

Pearl clenched her fist. Nick could tell she was holding back the urge to tell him to stop shouting, but sensed her consternation over something else.

'I hope she's okay.' he offered as an ease to the tension.

'I don't get it. She's seen me battle countless times.'

Nick remembered Alana's nervous disposition, and wondered if she had been bottling up feelings she was afraid to show. Why had this battle brought them out?

'Look at this.' said Pearl, pointing forward.

A wooden sign jutted at a slight angle from the ground. It was damp and mossy in places. On the dark, rotted wood, however, the message was still legible.

**FOREST EXIT **

In the direction of the arrow was a pathway of bent and broken grass. Pearl bent down to observe it.

'Looks like a fresh trail.' she mused. 'Maybe she followed the sign to get out of the woods.'

'I… guess so.' replied Blake.

'Then let's follow it.' smiled Nick, enjoying the small sense of hope that had washed over them.

They began to traipse through the growth. Parallel lines of trees outlined the way, and seemed to get closer together in an arrow shape.

'This is an odd formation of trees…' mumbled Nick. Neither of the others responded.

Eventually, the three of them stopped to take in the sight ahead. Light was shining through a gap in two trees that formed an arch, almost like a natural door. It seemed to be an otherwordly white, but Nick reasoned that his eyes had adapted to the darkness of the woods.

'Come on.' ushered Blake. 'Maybe she's outside.'

Picking up the pace, the trio ran into the light. At a close range, Nick found it to be blinding. When his eyes had re-adjusted beneath burning eyelids, he opened them to find that they were not outside, but in a small clearing. Huge trees stood pressed against each other, forming a solid wall around it through which no light shone.

_Where was the light coming from?_ he wondered.

Another thought stole his mind as he looked at the leafy ceiling of this natural room, and made him jump in fright. Attached to it, apparently asleep, were several winged insect-like creatures. Wide yellow wings heaved slowly as they breathed, the red-tipped antennae on their heads twitching occasionally. He held the Pokédex to them, only for Pearl to interject.

'Nick! Don't…!'

'Mothim. This bug- and flying-type Pokémon stays on a constant search for honey. It will steal honey from other Pokémon and attack those who try to stop it with dust from its wings.'

At this last sentence, red eyes opened wide and wings slowly began to flutter.

'Uh oh…' gasped Nick, realising his noisy error.

The Mothim dropped from the ceiling and into a flying formation, staring down at those who had interrupted them. Flapping their wings violently, purple dust cascaded towards them.

'That's Poison Powder!' exclaimed Pearl. 'We have to run!'

'Again?' cried Nick indignantly as he was pulled away.

They squeezed through the archway at speed, followed by the Mothim, their droves pouring out of their hollow in a burst of purple spores. Nick did not dare to look back, but he knew they could not run forever. There was no way that they could escape the creatures through such a dense forest. Suddenly, however, he felt his fear surge from his head and into his stomach as his foot met the ground at an awkward angle. With a twinge of pain and an undignified dive, he fell and skidded on the ground, face down in the grass and dirt. He looked up to see the others looking back at him, still moving forward at a slower pace, Blake the furthest ahead.

'Get up!' came Pearl's voice over the hum of approaching wings.

Flipping onto his back, he saw the Mothim draw closer. They stopped above him and, with vicious flaps of poison-covered wings, they dropped towards him. From behind his shielding arms, he heard his companions' voices, then felt flames lick at his hands and an odd pulse make his temples throb. Braving from behind tight fingers, he saw several Mothim fall to the ground and others retreat in the direction they had came. Still dazed, he clumsily got to his knees and turned to see Kirlia and a chimp-like creature with smoke rising slowly from its orange fur.

'Good job, Monferno.' said Blake quietly as he returned it to its Poké Ball.

Nick was in the middle of deducing that the Pokémon had used a fire-type attack and that Kirlia had used Psychic when Pearl dragged him to his feet in anger.

'Way to nearly end us!' she growled. 'You're lucky we were able to fight off so many of them. The last thing we want to do is start disrupting and angering the creatures in the forest, so come on.'

She stormed ahead. Blake kept his eyes on Nick, who followed her sheepishly.

'T-Thanks…' mumbled the latter.

They had not questioned the misleading sign that had led them into such danger until they reached it again. They were distracted from any discussion of it, however, by the sight that awaited them.

'Kaw!'

Murkrow stood on the sign, grooming its wings, indifferent to the fact the trainers were there.

'You!' snapped Blake, adopting a defensive stance. 'You're the one doing all this! That's it, Murkrow, time you were taught a lesson!'

He released Monferno from its Poké Ball again.

'Use Flame Wheel!'

The Pokémon somersaulted high into the air, a ring of fire igniting around it as it darted at the crow.

'Kaw…'

Barely focusing, Murkrow lifted its wing, which seemed to extend. It took Nick a moment to realise it was a shadow that was creeping from its black feathers. It formed itself into a sinister hand-like shape, feeling no burn as it grabbed Monferno and threw it towards the ground. Blake reacted quickly and recalled it before the crash.

'What was that?' gasped Nick. The shadow had unsettled him, having reminded him of their encounter with Darkrai.

'It looked like a Sucker Punch.' replied Pearl, who was, for once, using her Pokédex. 'It always hits the enemy first if they're trying to attack the user.'

Nick looked at the bird. It caught his eye and he felt his body tense, as though he was frozen to the spot. It suddenly started cawing loudly, flapping its wings and throwing its head back, as though angered by Blake's attack. Its shrill call reverberated around the trees, each echo louder than the last one until there was a constant cacophony that pierced the trainers' ears.

'What's happening?' cried Nick, covering his hands with his ears.

'I don't know!' shouted Pearl. 'It seems to be some sort of sound attack…'

'Look!' interrupted Blake, pointing upwards.

With dread rising inside them, Nick and Pearl gazed up at the branches of the trees. Countless Murkrow were appearing from nowhere, shrieking like the first one.

'There must be hundreds of them!' he moaned.

'Let's go! My ears can't take this!' replied Nick, his head throbbing.

Once again, the trio started to run through the trees.

* * *

Disorientated by the din, stumbling, tripping and grazing themselves on jagged branches, they eventually found themselves deeper in the forest. This part had a different feel; the air was imbued with a cold stillness, the branches were more knotted and crooked, and the terrain uneven and dark. The Murkrow had stopped crying, but the echoes still lingered somewhere in the wilderness. Exhausted, the trainers fell to their knees, gasping for breath.

'What's… this… place?' panted Blake, surveying the new surroundings.

The three of them looked up to take it in, but one thing in particular caught their attention: a colossal tree that stood before them, inconceivably wide and towering high above the others.

'I've never seen a tree like this…' mused Pearl, closely inspecting its bark. It was smooth, the wood almost with a glow, as though it had been fashioned to appear different from the rest of the trees. Suddenly, from high up and just discernible over the crows' ringing, a voice spoke.

'Blake…'

They looked to the source. Hanging out from a hollow several yards up was Alana. Her face was dirty, cut and bruised, as was the arm that motioned down to them.

'Alana!' cried Blake, his voice fearful. 'Alana, I've found you!'

'Go…' she croaked.

'What?' they asked in unison.

'Go…' she said again, gesturing them away. 'Run… Get out of here…'

'Alana, what are you talking about?' asked Blake, his voice growing softer, his tough demeanour waning.

'You need to go… before it comes back…'

Before they could ask, there was another cry, similar to Murkrow's but much louder, gruffer and angrier. Turning around, the trio found themselves having to drop to the floor, narrowly avoiding being struck by a long wing. The creature it was attached to circled the tree, stretched its wings and legs out with another caw, and perched on the ledge of the hollow, pushing Alana inside.

'Hey, that's a…' began Blake.

'…Honchkrow.' said Nick's Pokédex, finishing his sentence. 'This dark- and flying-type Pokémon claims dark forests as its territory and commands flocks of Murkrow to attack those who intrude.'

The boy narrowed his eyes and pointed at it.

'So you're the one creating these illusions! It was you who kidnapped Alana!' he bellowed. 'Give her back!'

Honchkrow growled and stretched its obsidian wings, releasing a flurry of Shadow Balls. They crashed around the group, clearly off-target, as though they were intended to be a warning and not an attack. Several Murkrow began to appear in the treetops, gazing down like spectators at an amphitheatre.

'If you won't let her go, I'll _take_ her back!' continued Blake. 'Yanma, go!'

The Poké Ball ascended into the air and opened, revealing a long dragonfly-like creature. Red stripes adorned its delicate wings that carried it to the top of the clearing.

'Use Silver Wind!'

With rapid movement of its wings, it threw up a shower of shining dust that began to descend on the large crow. Before it made contact, however, a lightning-quick Wing Attack shot a burning gust of wind through the haze, striking Yanma and knocking it to the ground. Blake caught it in his arms.

'Gah…'

'Don't you know that bug-types are weak to flying attacks?' snapped Pearl. 'If we want to defeat a Pokémon like this, we need to use strategy!'

'Let me give it a try!' announced Nick. 'Go, Elekid!'

His electric ally appeared in a burst of sparks.

'Thunderbolt should take care of it!'

Elekid clenched its pulsating fists and released the bolt from its horns. Honchkrow, however, raised a wing and from it came a Sucker Punch shadow. The hand grabbed the lightning, which turned to a mystic purple colour, and threw it back down. It landed on Elekid with a crash that sent a gust blasting through the trees. Nick struggled to stay standing.

'Elekid!'

The little Pokémon was on its knees, its eyes closed and its arms trembling. The bolt had evidently been too intense to absorb.

'Return…' said Nick solemnly, recalling it to its ball.

_What can I do now?_ he thought. _Nosepass won't be able to reach that high, Vulpix could accidentally start a forest fire, and Skorupi… well…_

'Shellder!' he blurted. 'Come on out and use Icicle Spear!'

The bivalve shot out of the Poké Ball and fired the white-hot ice from its horns. With a wave, Honchkrow turned its Sucker Punch into a large, defensive wall. Nick watched as the icicles dissolved and split as they crashed into it.

'Keep trying, Shellder! More power!'

The little Pokémon's shell tightened in concentration, its long tongue waggling from side to side in a comical fashion. As amusing as it looked, the trainer hoped that it could muster enough power to break through. The spears grew bigger and burned brighter as the spiralled into the air.

'Hunn-kraw! Hunn!'

The black bird shrieked as it held back the stronger move. Icicle after icicle bounced off of the black force field until suddenly, with an unsettling tearing sound, one penetrated it and crashed into Honchkrow. It fell backwards into the hollow, and there was a scream from the prisoner.

'Alana!' cried Blake. 'Are you okay up there?'

There was no reply. Honckrow fluttered back onto its ledge and with an angry flurry of feathers, formed what remained of its defences into a black orb. It hurled to the ground and, with another crashing blow, sent Shellder flying into the air.

'Use Aurora Beam!'

The water-type's tongue began to glow with the seven colours of the rainbow, but it was too late. Murkrow's Night Slash ray tore across the clearing and sliced into it with a horrific sizzling sound. It began to plummet and landed in Nick's arms. He stroked the burn mark across its top shell.

'You did great, buddy…'

'This isn't good.' spluttered Blake. 'I'm out of Pokémon.'

'Me too.' replied Nick. 'Or at least, none of my others will be of any use.'

With no other words, they turned to Pearl. She did not look back, but answered them all the same.

'Wailmer is too tired from earlier, and Honchkrow would be expecting any ice attacks that Empoleon could do…' she said solemnly, almost to herself. 'I can't use my grass-type, it's too young to battle, and Kirlia…'

'What about Kirlia?' asked Nick excitedly. He expected Pearl to have a plan like always.

'Kirlia is a psychic-type.' snorted Blake, seemingly angry at Nick's unawareness. 'It's weak to dark-types, and can't hurt them either.'

Nick looked to the trees. Honchkrow was getting angrier, and the Murkrow were calling loudly again. Something bad was going to happen.

'You're our last chance.' announced Pearl, holding a Poké Ball forward. 'Kirlia, try with all your psychic ability!'

The little dancer emerged, poised and graceful.

'Confusion!'

No sooner had the Pokémon's telekinetic waves begun to rise towards Honckrow that they were dissipated by the black hand again. It opened its fist and slapped itself down onto Kirlia, passing through its body and leaving a dark aura around it. The psychic-type shivered and moaned as the super-effective attack took over its body.

'Kirlia!' called Pearl. 'I know it hurts, but you have to try to do something! Try a Teleport attack!'

It took the Pokemon a few moments to react, but it eventually disappeared in a flash. Seconds later, it reappeared in the air above Honchkrow, but its movement was slowed, still imbued with the dark attack. It lunged at the crow, only to be whacked down to earth by a Night Slash. It managed to slow itself with its power, landing gently on the ground, at the edge of defeat.

'Kirlia…'

Honchkrow opened its wings. They could have blocked out the sun.

'This can't be it…'

The flocks of Murkrow were louder than ever, as though baying for blood.

'You were a brave Pokémon. You battled for us…'

The daylight began to fade. A Night Slash was forming in Honchkrow's wings as it eyed the three trainers and fallen Pokémon.

'…until the very end.'

Kirlia's eye opened and time suddenly seemed to freeze. Nick saw Pearl take a step back, her mouth open in surprise and her eyes open wider, as though suffering from shock. He had never seen her with such an unreserved expression before.

_What…?_ she thought, as the colours of her world inverted.

She looked down at her Pokémon. It looked back at her with pleading eyes. She could not hear the birds cawing or her companions asking if she was alright. A wind blew past, and she felt a force approaching. Turning to determine its source, she saw a blazing ball of slight approaching slowly. It tore through the scene, affecting nothing but the dark-type Pokémon. The Murkrow squawked and flew out of sight, and Honchkrow, its Night Slash dissolving, was enveloped by it. Her eyes whitened and the scene faded away.

_I can't…_

Nick and Jay were facing each other. A cloaked, skull-faced creature stood between them.

_What is…?_

She was looking at the ocean. Something large was fading into the horizon. A teardrop hit the ground.

_Where…?_

A dark room. A glass cylinder stood smashed, green fluid covering the floor.

_Kirlia!_

She was flying over Sinnoh, speeding towards Mount Coronet. Another white flash.

'Pearl!'

Landing back in reality, she looked back at Nick and Blake.

'What's the matter? Are you alright?' asked the boy.

She didn't answer, but looked at Honchkrow, preparing its final attack, and the Murkrow laughing at her exhausted Pokémon. It suddenly opened an eye and a feeling of intense déjà vu took over her.

'Do it now, Kirlia!'

The Pokémon sprang to life. It began to twirl, faster and faster, and its body shone. A tower of light ascended from its body, through the treetops and into the sky. Then everything went still again, save for Honchkrow raising its wings to fire its attack.

'We need to run!' gasped Nick.

'Alana!' exclaimed Blake.

'No!' interrupted Pearl. 'It's going to be alright… now!'

A breeze confirmed her statement. From through the trees came a light that chased away the Murkrow and crashed into Honchkrow.

'Hawwwnn-kraaah!'

The whole forest seemed to shake and the light covered everything in sight.

'You did it.' smiled Pearl. Kirlia's eyes were the only things she could see.

A few minutes of blinding white and silence passed before their vision returned. Honchkrow lay defeated at the bottom of the tree. Alana looked down from the hollow.

'Is it… over?' she whimpered.

Blake nodded at her.

'It's over.'

'What was _that_?' asked Nick, breathless from what they had witnessed.

'I think it was… Future Sight.' she replied quietly, allowing her Pokédex to continue the explanation.

'Future Sight. This powerful force can be used when a trainer is able to tap into a psychic connection with a Pokémon. Together, they are able to predict and plan an unexpected attack that will happen in future. It is also capable of hitting Pokémon that are usually immune to psychic-type attacks.'

Nick gasped at her.

'You… saw the future?'

She did not reply. She wasn't sure of that herself. She just continued to smile at her psychic ally, who had picked up on her love and bestowed the power on her.

'Kirlia, help her down.' she ordered, pointing up to the tree.

Alana floated a few inches from her resting place and descended slowly to the ground, where Blake ran to her, checking the wounds on her body.

'Why did you run off like that?' he scalded. 'What did you think you were doing?'

The girl jumped back from his grasp.

'The Pokémon!' she cried, tears forming in her eyes. 'I couldn't watch the Pokémon get hurt anymore!'

Nick looked at Pearl. Her eyes regarded the girl with understanding.

'Hurt the Pokémon…?' asked Blake, confused.

'The way you battle! The way you push them!' she continued. 'Pokémon aren't supposed to fight like that!'

'She's right.' added Pearl, stepping closer to them. 'You used your Pokémon like mere tools for battling. It should be about working together, teaching them and having them teach you.'

Blake stood speechless, his mouth open slightly.

'We were wrong too,' she continued, motioning at Nick. 'We should never have accepted a two-on-one battle. We let emotions get in the way of what was right. If you can't be rational, you can never be a good Pokémon trainer.'

Nick looked at his feet, suddenly overcome with remorse. Blake looked into Alana's wet eyes.

'I'm… I had no idea you felt that way.' he sighed. 'I'm sorry… I guess I focus too much on winning, and making myself seem powerful.'

Alana adopted a more stern face as a single tear ran down her cheek.

'It's not you who is powerful.' she said, speaking in tones much firmer than those of her usual nervous manner. 'It's your Pokémon who make you strong. But they can't be truly strong without you either.'

Blake nodded and swallowed hard, as though fighting back tears.

'Alana, from now on we'll treat the Pokémon well and train them right.' he smiled. 'And I'll let you have a say in how we do that.'

The girl smiled at him and more tears fell as they hugged each other. Feeling slightly awkward watching them, Nick approached the unconscious Honchkrow, wary that it might wake up and attack.

'Is it alright?' he asked as he and Pearl knelt down to it.

Pearl, rather bravely, grasped onto it, inspecting its wings and plumage. She gently rubbed damaged areas of its body and, after a few minutes, withdrew a spray bottle from her bag.

'It will be fine, it just has a few minor injuries.' she stated. 'This potion will cure it in no time.'

'Perhaps it's best that we leave before that happens.' laughed Nick sheepishly. He was secretly tempted to catch the Pokémon, but reasoned that it was too dangerous to attempt to train it.

'We could learn from the Murkrow.' said Pearl, as she draped an old blanket over the dark-type. 'They led us into traps when our frustration got the best of us. Only when we kept cool heads could we defeat them. It's the same as Pokémon training. You need to persevere along the right paths.'

Seemingly at the mention of paths, daylight began to flood in from the shadows. Beside the monolithic tree, Nick suddenly spotted a worn old signpost that had evaded their attention in the heat of battle. It read:

**HONCHO HOLLOW  
Travellers please progress at haste so as not to disturb the creatures living here.**

** CANALAVE CITY LAKE VERITY **

'Looks like we've found our way.' he smiled. Pearl, who was stroking Kirlia affectionately, agreed with a nod.

'We're going back to Canalave, and then on to Veilstone City.' announced Blake, before quickly turning to Alana. 'If… that's okay with you?'

The girl grinned and nodded.

'Take care of yourselves.' smiled Nick. 'Next time we meet, we'll battle fair and square.'

'And you'll be the one to lose.' laughed the boy. 'Thank you both.'

With a friendly wave, their new friends turned and vanished into the wilderness. Returning Kirlia to its Poké Ball, Pearl stood and walked ahead.

'Well? Come on.' she said, her face turning to stone once more. Nick grinned and followed.


End file.
